Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary gets ready to host winged visitors

Workers removing invasive plants as part of a clean-up operation at Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary, situated on Thanjavur-Kodiakarai State Highway, has been cleared of invasive plant species to prepare the habitat for migratory birds that have begun arriving here from end-October.

“We have completely removed invasive species such as water hyacinth, Prosopis juliflora, and Ipomoea that had covered a large part of the sanctuary in the past few weeks. This will let native types of vegetation thrive just as the migratory birds come in,” L.C.S. Srikanth, District Forest Officer, Tiruvarur, told The Hindu.

The clean-up was taken up with funds allocated under the Chennai Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) project which covers the Mannargudi-Thanjavur road, said the official.

“As per the project norms, if a road passes through a natural sanctuary or forest area, some mitigation measures should be taken. Since this road is adjacent to the eco-sensitive zone of Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary, they have granted funds to clear invasive flora and to desilt the waterbodies. As the water level is high now, the desilting will be taken after it is diverted for irrigation by March or April next year,” Mr. Srikanth added.