Jaipur: Rajasthan has drawn up an ambitious plan to bringmigratory birds back to the famous Bharatpur sanctuary which has witnessed acrisis this winter due to an acute water shortage. 

The KeoladeoGhanaNational Park, as it is called, has suffered severely dueto scanty rainfall and shortage of water. 

"We have drawn out a Rs.200-million plan to bring waterto the Ghana sanctuary fromthe nearby Goverdhan drain," Sunayan Sharma, director of the KeoladeoNational Park, told sources. 

"The project will be implemented soon after we get ago-ahead from the state government," Sharma said. Officials in the forestdepartment said the floodwaters that are usually diverted to the Yamuna riverwill now be utilised for the sanctuary.  

Officials said during monsoon, water would be transported toGhanafrom the Goverdhan drain, about 20 km from Bharatpur, by constructing a liftcanal as well as laying pipelines. 

Owing to water scarcity migratory birds have not come thisyear and it wears a deserted look. Several birds that come here in theirbreeding season have also turned to other places. 

Large parts of the water bodies in the sanctuary have driedup. The area had been receiving scanty rainfall for the last couple of yearsbut this year the situation is at its worst. The number of birds has decreasedto a great extent. 

Several birds that initially landed here at the onset ofmonsoon flew back following scanty rainfall. 

Keoladeo with its lakes and wetlands is spread over an areaof 28.73 sq km. It was artificially created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in the19th century. By building small dykes and dams and diverting water from anirrigation canal, he converted the low-lying area into a fine wild fowlshooting preserve. In a few years, the new wetland surrounded by marginalforests was able to support thousands of water birds.  

The park used to be a delight for bird watchers. Over 300species of birds including open bills, spoon bills, egrets, cormorants, whiteibises, harriers, fishing eagles, kingfishers and local and Siberian cranes arefound here.

 However, with water becoming a scarce commodity here, thechances of one seeing these birds have become negligible.