Garana Wetland of Jammu being retrieved

SRINAGAR: The Wildlife Department of Jammu region is trying to retrieve Garana Wetland in R.S. Pura Tehsil of Jammu District, as they expect a lot of migratory birds during the winter season.
In Kashmir valley, the huge presence of migratory birds in wetlands has enthused the bird watchers and wildlife authorities. When the temperatures will dip to minus and the water surfaces in the wetlands will freeze, many of these migratory birds will leave for Garana Wetland in Jammu which has warmer waters than Kashmir wetlands. After the devastating floods of 2014, most of the wetlands in Kashmir got accumulated with slit. “Many of them, especially Hygam Wetland near Sopore and Shalbugh Wetland in Ganderbal need de-slitting,” said Irfan Ahmad Matoo who is a keen bird watcher and visits wetlands during winters.
Irfan said that he went to Shalbugh Wetland and there are few birds as the water level is very shallow in the wetland. Talking to media Kashmir Wildlife warden Ifshan Dewan said that they are expecting 11 lacs migratory birds to visit Kashmir during this winter season. She said that right from the month of October, different species of migratory birds have started coming to Kashmir valley from places like Siberia and China and they will stay here up to March.
Wildlife authorities in Jammu are busy to keep the Garana Wetland ready for the avian visitors. The administration is trying to retrieve the encroached land of Garana Wetland and the officials are also trying to clean waters for the birds to come. It is in place to mention that there is already a PIL in the J&K High Court with the request of saving this wetland for the migratory birds.
The government has already demarcated over 410 kanals of land for Garana Wetland project and very soon this would be one of the main tourist attractions of Jammu district. In Kashmir valley also Wildlife Department is busy in keeping a watch on the wetlands so that they are saved from hunters and poachers. Kashmir Wildlife warden in a recent interaction with the media said that they have developed an eco-spot for the migratory birds in Hokersar Wetland and the same spots would be developed at Hygam and Shalbugh Wetlands. In the recent past wildlife officials have been busy reviving the water channels in and around the wetlands and have also got the required permission to axe all illegal plants grown on the peripheries of wetlands by people. While Kashmir valley already has lakhs of migratory birds enjoying in the wetlands, the wildlife authorities are trying to keep ready Garana Wetland in Jammu as many of the birds will fly to this wetland when Kashmir will freeze in intense cold and there would be frozen water surfaces, forcing the birds to search for foods.