Bisleri Partners With UP Govt To Revitalize Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Noida, Aug 28, 2024: Bisleri International has collaborated with Uttar Pradesh Forest Department to revamp the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, a vital ecological haven located at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border. As part of the initiative, it organized a mega cleaning drive and installed display boards depicting bird history at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

The restoration program included critical improvements like updating and repairing bird information display boards, installing new signage to improve the overall visitor experience, benefiting both the sanctuary and its visitors. The sanctuary is roughly four-square km in size and houses more than 300 species of waterbirds. The most prominent feature of the sanctuary is the large lake created by damming the river, which lies between Okhla village to the west and Gautam Budh Nagar to the east. The sanctuary draws over 70 thousand visitors each year.

P K Srivastava, IFS, District Forest Officer (DFO) of the Forest Department, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Noida, praised Bisleri International’s initiative, stating: “The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is a critical haven for a diverse array of bird species and an important site for conservation and education. This cleaning drive is a significant contribution to preserving and improving this vital ecological resource. By updating facilities and enhancing visitor experiences, these efforts will help sustain the sanctuary's role as an essential refuge for wildlife and an inspiring destination for nature enthusiasts.”

K Ganesh, Director - Sustainability & Corporate Affairs, Bisleri International, said, “Our partnership with the Okhla Bird Sanctuary shows our dedication to environmental sustainability. This cleaning drive is integral to our broader efforts to support and enhance the sanctuary’s infrastructure, ensuring it continues to serve as a vital habitat and an educational resource.”

Earlier this year, Bisleri International successfully restored and rededicated a Lake at Madras Christian College, enhancing its water-holding capacity to 20 million litres. This project, supported by Mega Foundations and the Scrub Society, involved widening the lake’s boundaries, desilting, developing an island to attract bird species, restoring the check dam, planting over 100 native species, and installing an IoT-enabled floating duck for real-time water quality monitoring.