Deforestation root cause of elephant depredation

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Deforestation root cause of elephant depredation

 

From Our Correspondent

GOLAGHAT, Dec 15 — Depredations by wild elephants have been

increasing day by day in different parts of the State. In Golaghat

district also depredation by elephants is on the rise. Due to

shortage of fodder and heavy deforestation, the hungry elephants

damage camps, dwelling houses and even killed human beings. The

habitats of the elephants are the forest areas and now due to heavy

felling of trees, the forest areas are decreasing.

 

The total land area of the Golaghat district is 5,35,607 hectares.

The land area of the forest reserves of Golaghat is 1,36,918

hectares. Among this, the forest area of Doigurung forest reserve is

2,048 hectares, upper Doigurung is 2.124 hectares, lower Doigurung is

2.048 hectares, North Numbor is 15,132 hectares, Diffu is 16,450

hectares, Kaziranga national park is 400 square kilometres. A large

area of the KNP is now in the grip of encroachers.

 

The Numaligarh Oil Refinery was established on 1000 acres of land.

This large area was where the elephants took shelter for many years.

But due to deforestation the elephants were compelled to go out of

the forest and began to go to the crop fields in search of food and

they also damaged the dwelling houses and killed several people. This

man-elephant conflict is going on since 1999.

 

A large area of the historic Numaligarh-Deopahar is now under the

grip of the encroachment by the tea gardens. The forest department of

Golaghat district has miserably failed to evict the encroachments

till now and as a result the tea garden authority concerned has begun

to encroach on the lands and included them in the tea garden areas.

The Deopahar forest reserve has been much encroached by the people of

different areas continuously and for this reason the entire forest

areas have been covered by the people and within two or three years,

the forest reserve would turn into villages.

 

In Golaghat district the revenue village area is now 729 in number.

 

The number of gaon panchayats are 102 and the number of anchalik

panchayats are eight. In all these villages the depredation by the

elephants are continuing and increasing for want of fodder of the

elephants. In Golaghat district, the number of elephants were 209

according to the census report of 1997. But now it has increased upto

400 in number and because of reduction in the habitats of the

elephants they are getting increasingly involved in man-elephant

conflict.

 

The forest department initiates eviction drives from time to time.

But due to interference of the political leaders, the eviction drive

are stopped midway.

 

Altogether 84,000 hectares of land of forest area have fallen prey to

destruction. The forest department had started eviction drive against

the encroachers in 2002 and recovered by only 100 hectares of lands

from the encroachers. But in current year of 2006, a large portions

of land had been encroached again by the encroachers.

 

Recently, the forest department started another eviction drive and

damaged 685 dwelling houses of the encroachers. In Doigurung and

Numbor reserve forest, the forest department had included only 5,492

hectares of forest lands. An adult elephant requires at least 80 kg

of food daily. But now the elephants have no forest areas to graze.

 

It may be pertinent to mention that the Rhino Foundation, a foreign

NGO had paid 33,381 dollars to the Golaghat forest department. The

Central government also had paid Rs 1.39 crore for elephant project

for the year 2001-02 and Rs 1.16 crore in 2002-06. The World Bank had

paid Rs 234 crore to the forest department in 1998 for the protection

and preservation of forest products. But it is a matter of regret

that till now no elephant project has been successful and the fund

was not properly utilised by the forest departments concerned.

 

The nature lovers and conscious people of Golaghat have asked the

forest department to adopt proper measures against the depredation of

elephant in order to save lives and properties of the rural people of

Golaghat district.

 

Seminar: A seminar on `global warming — its impact on socio-economic

development " was held at the Hemoprova Borbora Girls' College under

the aegis of the Society of Economics and History Forum recently. The

seminar was conducted by Dr Bonti Rani Gogoi Phukan, principal HPB

Girls' College and was addressed by Dr Choudhury Nath Saikia, ex-

scientist, Jorhat Regional Research Laboratory, Gokul Chandra Saikia,

co-ordinator of the forum, Dr Ashiwni Sarma, secretary general,

UNESCO, Guwahati branch, Dr Kushal Kumar Barua, head of the

department, Environmental Science, Tezpur University and Utpal

Baruah, lecturer Engineering Institute, Guwahati.

 

The speakers undrelined the causes, affects and measures caused by

the global warming in the world. The speakers further appealed to the

people to lay stress on arranging awareness programmes among

themselves on global warming.

 

A souvenir Ecohist published by Prasanta Bora was released by Dr

Choudhury Nath Saikia.

 

Formed: A Sahityagusthi Padatik by name was formed recently at DR

College, Golaghat. An executive committee was constituted with Dr

Tapan Bhuyan as the adviser, SK Shandilya as the president and Ankur

Dev Saikia as the secretary respectively.

 

The committee was formed in a meeting held at the College premises

under the presidentship of AD Saikia.