Delhi: 24 crows found dead in Jasola park, 10 ducks die at Sanjay Lake

Amid bird flu scare in the national capital, at least 24 crows have been found dead at a district park in south Delhi's Jasola in the past three days and 10 ducks have died at the famous Sanjay Lake, officials said on Saturday.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which owns a large number of parks in the city, swung into action with the authorities on Saturday closing Sanjay Lake and three other parks.

"As a precautionary measure in view of the bird flu scare, Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal Park and Sanjay Lake have been closed,” a senior official said.

Hauz Khas Park in south Delhi has a huge water body and attracts a large crowd every day.

DDA officials said though no death of birds has been reported from Hauz Khas Park, it has been closed as a precautionary measure.

"Samples of ducks found dead have been taken by the veterinary department authorities to ascertain if the cause of death was bird flu or not," a senior DDA official said earlier in the day.

On the death of crows, the DDA has informed the Delhi government's Forest Department, he said.

"We are monitoring the situation very closely as the DDA owns a large number of public parks, many of which have water bodies," the official said.

The Delhi Development Authority owns about 800 parks, including Coronation Park in Burari and Japanese Park in Rohini.

Amid the bird flu scare, at least 35 crows have died in the national capital in the past a few days and samples have been sent to labs for testing, the officials had said on Friday.

An official of the animal husbandry unit had said around 50 birds, mostly crows, had died over the past three to four days.

"We received information about the death of crows in Dwarka, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Hastsal village in west Delhi.

However, it is yet to be ascertained if bird flu infection is the reason," Dr Rakesh Singh from the department had said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had instructed officials on Friday to maintain a strict vigil at major bird sites, especially poultry markets, water bodies, zoos and other potential hotspots.

On Friday, the Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in six states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.