Santragachhi Jheel overrun by water hyacinth, clean-up delay threatens migratory bird arrival
Times of India | 13 November 2025
Kolkata: A year after the delayed cleanup of the 33-acre Santragachhi Jheel led to fewer arrivals of migratory birds, there are fears of a repeat this year, with work to remove the water hyacinth cover yet to start.
Nature conservation NGO Nature Mates, which has been cleaning up the water body ahead of winter for the past four years, held a meeting with the West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB) a month ago to emphasise the need to release funds for the cleanup at the earliest. However, there has been no action yet. Around Rs 7 lakh-Rs 8 lakh is needed to remove 50%-70% of the hyacinth cover to make the jheel visible and attract migratory birds.
"We have not received funds or permission to start work on the jheel yet. Even if funds are made available tomorrow, work can only begin next week after labourers are mobilised. It will take at least a month to complete the cleanup. That means it will be the third week of Dec, well into the migration season. But there is no indication yet of when the funds and work order will arrive," said Nature Mates founder Arjan Basu Roy.
WBBB member secretary Ram Prasad Badana said despite the financial constraints, the Santragachhi Jheel cleanup was a priority and that files were forwarded for approval. "We expect the nod to come in a day or two, definitely by the end of this week," he told TOI.
Ideally, work should have begun in late Sept and completed by mid-Nov, in time for the arrival of early migrants.
Birders said lesser whistling ducks and garganey were spotted in Baruipur.
In the wetlands of Murshidabad, gadwall was also sighted. "It is still early days. But unless birds are able to sight the expanse of water from the sky, they will go elsewhere. We need to urgently clear the hyacinth," said Leena Chatterjee of Nature Mates.
In 2016, when the jheel was not cleaned, the arrival dropped to 2,920 in Jan 2017, down from 5,232 the previous Jan and 6,984 in 2015. In 2017, the number further nosedived to 800 as an over-zealous cleanup by the Howrah Municipal Corporation led to the removal of all hyacinth, leaving no place for the birds to roost or rest.
Nature Mates removes 50%-70% of the hyacinth, which is tied up to create 10-12 floating islands. When the hyacinth dries up and turns brown in colour, these islands become the perfect camouflage for birds, like lesser whistling ducks. Last year, work on the jheel was delayed to Dec. As a result, 4,197 birds were recorded in Jan 2025, the lowest in five years.