Basai wetlands: An oasis in the heart of a concrete jungle

More than an address for fancy high-rise apartments, Sector 101 of Gurugram is a place of ecological importance. Till a decade ago, the Basai wetlands was a top birdwatching destination where the Bombay Natural History Society had documented 281 species of avian population. In an attempt to sensitise the local residents and build a citizens’ movement, film and TV director-producer Chandramouli Basu made a short film — Why We Must Save Basai’s Bird Paradise. Mr. Basu made more than three dozen trips during different seasons to the Basai wetlands last year. Compiling the annual sightings of individual birders, e-bird.org — the go-to repository of birds — has listed several varieties of birds, including the bar-headed goose, flamingos, grey-headed swamphen, cattle egret, black bittern, yellow-bellied prinia, grey-headed lapwing, watercock, white-rumped vulture, wood sandpiper, smoky warbler, water pipit, common crane, citrine wagtail and waders, spotted in Basai wetlands in 2020-21.