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Alert!! Airport project will be the end of Sarus CranesTragedy of star-crossed lovebirds
The Times The airport for a new resort is home of an ancient and endangered species April 10, 2006 |
FOR centuries, the skies over the wetlands of north India have carried the spectacular wings of the world's tallest flying bird, the sarus crane. But now they are under threat from one of the country's most powerful politicians. In the grassy plains of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief minister of the state, is creating his "dream project" in his home district of Etawah: a luxury resort in the midst of poverty and natural beauty. Among the plans are a casino and an airport, where Boeing 737 jets will land in the home of the world's largest concentration of the endangered birds and the species' key breeding ground. Generations of villagers in the farming districts of Etawah and Mainpuri have lived in harmony with the 3,000 cranes, the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. It is India's most populous state and home to a fifth of the world population of the birds. Standing up to 6ft (1.83m) tall, the birds are revered in Indian religion and folklore as a symbol of conjugal bliss. The cranes live in pairs and practise monogamy during their average lifespan of 50-60 years. Their perfectly pitched unison calls, elegantly danced duets and choreographed territorial displays have won them a place in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. Fossils of the sarus dating from more than 40 million years ago make the bird among the oldest surviving creatures on Earth. But the mosaic of wetlands on which the crane depends for food and nesting is fast being drained by Mr Yadav. In its place, bulldozers and tractors are concreting over the parched earth of the 3km (1.9 miles) earmarked for the landing strip. Moreover, the harmony that has long existed between local people and the birds has been sabotaged. An Indian television station recently filmed 12 locals, hired by the state government, trying to drive out the birds living in the flight path by hurling sticks and stones at them. The airport is part of Mr Yadav's plan to raise a new capital from his family's village of Saifai, which lies within Etawah's wetlands. Once a sleepy settlement of farmers, he has used state money to convert it into a mini-metropolis. The white domes of the chief minister's marble mansion - complete with a swimming pool and bathrooms with saunas - fly his Socialist party flag while barefoot village women wander past carrying firewood on their heads. A glitzy Art Deco guest house for his VIP guests has been built, as has a glass-fronted medical college and a higher education college managed by his family. Mr Yadav used 99 per cent of the sports budget of Uttar Pradesh to fund an international sports stadium, which is being built in Saifai. These grand plans have already had a damaging effect on the bird population. Several pairs of breeding sarus cranes have disappeared, and experts give warning that Etawah's birdlife will be destroyed once the airport opens this year. "The airport will kill off sarus cranes in the area. They'll be wiped out," said Gopi Sundar, of the International Crane Foundation and author of the leading research on the district's sarus population. While the construction will drain the water that is essential for their habitat, the roar of landing Boeing 737s is likely to prevent thousands of birds from breeding, experts say. "Boeings are large aircraft. They have to descend way before the actual airstrip. But cranes can't tolerate noise from aircraft which is less than 1km from the ground," Mr Sundar said. Many villagers in the local area were too scared to talk to The Times about the airport. However, one man, Lajja Ram Yadav, no relation, whose acre of land fell into the area earmarked for its construction, said that he had been "forced" to sell it to the state government. "It's stupid to protest against the chief minister here. We're too frightened," the 55-year-old farmer said. Without land, he has lost his living. "Why do we need an airport?" he asked. "We hardly have food. We don't even have electricity or water. It's just the chief minister's wish." The minister has refused to comment. In a response to a legal challenge to prevent the destruction of the cranes' habitat, the state government claimed that "there is no resident population of sarus crane on the airstrip or its immediate surroundings". It also said the strip was not located on wetland. But after being scrutinised by an expert court panel, the administration announced that it would form "a society" for the protection of the sarus crane. It has yet, however, to order a stop to the draining of the wetland or to the scheme to land Boeing 737s in its midst. MONOGAMOUS MATES
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