Birds flee pollution

During the late 1970s, Kavadi, a village off the Pune-Solapur highway, three km from Loni with its pollution-free river, was just right for migratory birds. Ornithologists say it had the makings of a bird sanctuary. However, non-biodegradable matter like plastic, thermocol and high-density polyethylene is thrown into the Mula-Mutha river that flows through the village causing environmental problems. The polluted water has affected the fish that in turn has turned away fish-eating birds like the Kingfisher and Egrets over the last 5-6 years.