DEHING PATKAI often referred to as “THE AMAZON OF THE EAST” also known as JEYPORE RAINFOREST is at risk today. Home to hundreds of various species of mammals and birds, butterflies and orchid species stand vulnerable and threatened.
The unfortunate approval given by the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) to the coal-mining project under-taken by the North-East Coal Field (NECF) a unit of Coal India limited in the 98.59 hectares of area from the Saleki Reserve Forest to extract (opencast) coal mining, only calls for more environmental tragedy.
Humanity today is facing existential crisis due to deforestation. Environmental degradation and ecological crisis is a serious global issue and environmentalists across the globe are raising their voices and are actively advocating reforestation to save the world from devastation and environmental hazards directly impacting the very existence of human civilization.
Despite all available facts and warnings on the consequences of deforestation such as increasing global warming and worsening climate crisis, many forest cover across India remain vulnerable to being removed including DEHING PATKAI.
Secretary-General of Green Guard Nature Organization, stated that that our dysfunctional relationship with nature, and continued depletion of wildlife habitats paved the way for the emergence of viruses like HIV, EBOLA AND CORONAVIRUSES.
The rapid loss of natural forest across the world is alarming. Too many forests are continuously being dangerously damaged, or completely destroyed. According to the UN, 88,000 sq. km of natural forest cover is lost globally every year. Reports state as much as 80% of the world's forests have been destroyed or irreparably degraded and 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year.
India has seen rapid deforestation in recent years, primarily due to its focus on economic development. According to government data, 14,000sq km of forests were cleared to accommodate 23,716 industrial projects across India over the last 30 years.
The North-East of India has been consistently losing its forest cover over the last 18 years. According to the reports of the Global Forest Watch, a repository of forest data worldwide the loss has been doubled in the last five years.
Government of India has numerous laws and schemes to forest protection and conservation such as The Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (with an amendment in 1988), Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Integrated Forest Protection Scheme(IFPS), National Mission for a Green India (NMGI) , National Afforestation Programme (NAP) to name a few . But despite of all the significant efforts by the Government India’s forests are at risk today.
Government data’s available show that the loss of tree cover in North-East India amounts to over 70% of all tree loss in India that occurred between 2001 and 2018. Net loss of tree cover between 2000 and 2018 in India is 16,744 sq km. Out of which 12,523 sqkm, 74.7%, is from the north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and others.
While Assam tops the list for the period between 2001 and 2018 with 2388.46 sqkm tree cover loss.
According to reports Assam Forest dept. has slapped a penalty of 43.25crore on PSU major Coal India limited for carrying out illegal mining inside the reserve forest for 16 years from 2003.
The Sentinel’s reported that 57.20 hectares of the proposed SALEKI RF had already been broken by the Coal India ltd. and only 41.39 hectares has been left unbroken. Surprisingly the reclamation plan submitted by coal india limited reportedly include trees from Central India which are not native or suitable to the biodiversity of Assam.
The developmental plan designed by the handful of capitalists, bureaucrats and politicians because of their personal vested interest of monetary gains has indeed threatened the very existence of the Amazon of the East the only rain forest of the region. It is necessary that the Government must review their decision on the approved open cast mining in DEHING PATKAI.
It is important and imperative that State and Central Government together resort to building infrastructure and developmental programs without destroying the natural environment, and ensure sustainable development, keeping in view of the facts of irreplaceable loss and damage of primary forests of the region. However, it is also a social responsibility of every citizen to become conscious towards their natural environment and assist the Government agencies to protect and conserve the natural resources of the country.