CITIESDELHI

Published:January19,201500:00IST|Updated:January19,201512:24IST
NewDelhi,January19,2015

BirdsbackatHauzeShamsiafterASIcleansupreservoir
RANASIDDIQUIZAMAN

AnearlierimageofHauzeShamsi,whichthelocalshadusedasagarbagedumpyard.

ThehauzafterthecleanlinessdrivebytheASIhasbeenattractingwaterbirds.
"Fourtofivepairsofcommonmooorhenand1520duckshavearrivedhereafterages"
TheArchaeologicalSurveyofIndiaprotectedhistoricalreservoirHauzeShamsiattheQutubComplexinMehrauliisseeingapleasant
arrivalofHimalayanwaterbirdcommonmoorhen,popularlyknownasJalMurgi,andlocalducksareswimminginitswatersthesedays.
AnASIrepresentativeoftheDelhi(Mehrauli)Circlesaid,Fourtofivepairsofcommonmooorhenand1520duckshavearrivedhereafter
ages.Thoughacoupleofmoorhenwasseenherelastyear,thistimetheyareswarmingoneportionoftheHauzeShamsi,whichhasbeen
cleanedinthepastoneandahalfmonths.Wecleanedthealgaeandsilt(vegetationgrowth)fromtheedges,whichwasdepositedherefor
over2530years.
Distinctly,thearrivalofthesewaterbirdshavetodowithHauzeShamsiscleanlinesssincethesebirdsflockonlyincleanwater.Their
presencehasalsoresultedinacontinuousflowofvisitors.Earlier,thehauzwasafilthysightthelocalswouldthrowtheirgarbageinit.
The35,000sqmHauzeShamsiwasbuiltbyIlltutmishin1230CE.Accordingtolegend,hesawavisionoftheProphetMuhammadasking
himbuildareservoirinthearea.
Thehauzisslanted,therefore,astherepresentativesays,isdangeroustocleanunlessdonemanually.Peoplelivinginslumsclosebythrow
glassbottlesduetowhichtheworkershavebeenwoundedandtheyweregivengumboots,plasticwears,etc.Afteronepartwascleaned,the
representativealsorequestedforsomeboatsfromPuranaQilaofficialsasanexperimenttowoovisitors.Butthelocalsstartedusingtheboat
withoutseekingpermissionfromASIofficials.So,forthetimebeing,wehavekepttheboatsatJahazMahal(locatedatHauzeShamis
easternedge,builtforthepilgrimsasalodgeinthe16{+t}{+h}CenturyduringtheLodiDynasty).Wewillfacilitateboatingheresoonafter
seekingofficialpermission,theofficialsaid.
Interestingly,thestaffoftheASIledbySumatDograattheQutubComplex,hadvisitedtheResidentialWelfareAssociationoftheareato
garnersupporttokeepthehauzclean.Itboreresults.

Theresidentsofthesocietieshavejoinedhandsinguardingthereservoirbytakingturns.Evenwomenhavecomeforwardtoguardthearea
onSaturdaysandSundaysforthewholeday.Apolicecheckposthasalsobeenerectedtoavoidantisocialelements.
Therepresentativesofcomplexclaimthatthelocalpeopleshowmoreinterestthanthepolicepersonneldeployedforthejob.Theboatsnow
readacautionnotethatanyoneseendirtyingthehauzwouldbefinedRs.5000.thasresultedinthinningofgarbagespillingincidentsby
90percentatrickthatworkedinstantlythananypunishmentsofar,thecaretakersclaimgleefully.
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reservoir/article6800505.ece
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