New Delhi:
Reports of over 50 bird deaths were received on a helpline number of the Delhi government’s animal husbandry unit and 18 samples from different parts of the city were sent for avian flu testing on Tuesday, officials said.
Teams from the department visited many parks and water bodies at Raj Ghat, Bhalswa and Hauz Khas to collect samples of dead birds and droppings, they said.
The revenue department has also deployed teams of volunteers at the city’s borders to prevent unauthorised entry of livestock, and canned and processed chicken from outside, the officials said.
Testing of samples of crows and ducks had confirmed bird flu cases in the national capital on Monday, prompting the city government to impose a ban on sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city.
”The report of around 100 samples is still awaited,” Dr. Rakesh Singh from the department said on Tuesday.
Officials had earlier said 10 samples from three areas – Mayur Vihar Phase 3, Sanjay Lake and Dwarka Sector 9 – tested positive for avian influenza.
A drive to cull ducks was conducted on Monday at the famous Sanjay Lake, where several ducks were found dead over several days, with 17 reported on Sunday.
This had prompted authorities to declare it an ”alert zone”.
Besides, officials said, 91 crows were found dead in 14 DDA parks in the last couple of days.
A few days ago, around 50 crows were found dead in Central Park, Mayur Vihar Phase 3.
