Sparrow haven feels nature's fury

Delhi's first sparrow village, set up in 2022, was devastated in '23 floods, but officials said plans are afoot to revive the project

- Jasjeev Gandhiok and Snehil Sinha

NEW DELHI: Broken birdhouses, withered nests and damaged visitor facilities are all that is left at Delhi's first "Goraiyya Gram", or sparrow village, which was opened in May 2022 as a haven for Delhi's state bird. Woven into the dense green fabric of the Garhi Mandu city forest in east Delhi, on the Yamuna floodplains, the village was planned as a bustling habitat for the species, complete with artificial bird boxes and nests, insect hotels and native plants.

But nature's fury has decimated the place — first, the floods in 2023 submerged most of the 42-acre city forest, and the recent spell of squalls has decimated the remnants.

Noticeable by their absence at the site were two large signages, labelling the place as "Goraiyya Gram", placed at the forest outset, as checked by HT during a spot visit on June 18.

A gazebo built for visitors had a gaping hole as well, as a part of the structure's roof collapsed during the recent gusts.

Two insect hotels—meant to be a natural source of food for the sparrow, stood like skeleton shells in the mud—their wooden frames beat down by the water but intact, while the wood, bamboo, pinecones and leaves, typically hosting nesting insects such as ants or solitary bees, had all been swept away.

"The flood took everything away from this sparrow village," said 58-year-old Maharram (goes by a single name), a forest department official who has