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Kodaikanal under deforestation threat Kodaikanal (Tamilnadu): Kodaikanal - one of the most beautiful hill towns in the country, situated in the Palni Hills, is an important eco-tourist spot but at the same time threatened by two potential issues - the deforestation of the hills, and the pollution by tourists. Residents here have raised their concern over the rampant deforestation of the ecologically sensitive Shola Forest. Shola forest (or tropical montane forests) provides pleasant climatic conditions to the town of Kodaikanal besides harbouring a dam, which provides drinking water facilities to the residents. Shola forests are peculiar to the hills in south India and among the richest terrestrial biodiversity hotspots in the world. More importantly, every shola is a watershed draining into a perennial stream or river. The residents complain that illegal felling of trees in the protected forest area around the dam, is posing a threat to the environment, as it would lead to soil erosion thus endangering the structure of the dam. "We demand an immediate halt to illegal cutting of trees otherwise the soil erosion would reduce the depth of the dam and ultimately it would lead to drinking water crisis,' said Thangaraj, a resident. Since the past month the thick forest cover of trees is being ruthlessly and illegally cut. People allege that such an illegal act cannot be carried out without the connivance of local authorities. "From the past one month the trees from the protected Shola Forest which are crucial for Kodaikanal are being cut illegally without any prior permission. This is being done with the help of local body officials. More than 50 truck loads of wood is being cut everyday and we are really concerned about this," said K.V.M. Jeeva, member of the People's Watch, a voluntary organisation. The
authorities, however, declined to comment on the issue. Cradled in the
southern crest of the upper Palani Hills, in the Western Ghats, 120
km from Madurai, Kodaikanal is located 2133 m above sea level. Founded
by American missionaries in 1845, Kodaikanal is steeped in history.
Relics and artifacts of the Paliyans who once lived in these hills can
still be seen in the Shenbaganur Museum. Even today, a few Paliyans
can be seen near Kukal Cave. In the early days, there were no roads-people
had to travel by bullock-cart and palanquin, braving the dangers of
the forests. Slowly Kodaikanal developed, missionaries established church
properties, many of the then ruling princes built summer holiday-homes,
clubs were opened, school and hotels were built, and civic amenities
were introduced. The need of the hour is to preserve the sanctity and
beauty of this gift of God. Tourist permits come to endangered Gangotri's rescue (Go to Top) Gangotri (Uttaranchal): Gangotri, the picturesque pilgrimage in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth the first time. But pollution, overcrowding and development are taking their toll on one of the purest regions in the country. To prevent degradation of the Himalayan glaciers, the state authorities have now decided to issue permits to tourists to keep a check on their numbers. Human activities are the main reason for the degradation of the Gomukh glacier. The tourist and pilgrims leave poly bags and rubbish all over dirtying the area and destroying the natural ambience. With the pilgrimage season starting on Wednesday, local authorities said issuing permits would help them to keep a check on the number of tourists. "Like the permit is issued to enter the national parks similarly we will issue permits to every individual so that we are able to know how many people visited the place during a particular time period and the average number of people visiting the place per day," said Nav Prabhat, Forest and Environment Minister, Uttaranchal. Locals
welcomed the idea of issuing permits. "This work is really appreciated
because the environment there is getting polluted. If this goes on at
the glacier of Gomukh then in the future river Ganga will face severe
problems," said Ramesh Semwal, a local resident. The Gangotri glacier,
which arises in the towering mountains of Uttaranchal, emerges in a
cavernous opening known as Gomukh. It is the largest glacier in the
upper reaches of the Himalayas. The glacier, a principal pilgrimage
spot, attracts over 100,000 pilgrims every year. Though some residents
had a few reservations. "We are not against the permit. But the government
should make it clear as to where they will issue the permits. It should
be free of cost. Proper arrangements should be made and if this is not
done then it will hurt the religious sentiments of people," said Suresh.
A research done by Geological Survey of India reveals that Gangotri
glacier slid back by 10 metres every year between 1935 and 1956, while
between 1956 and 1995 it shrunk by 27 to 30 metres and further by 76
metres between 1996 and 1999. Environmentalists predict that if necessary
steps were not taken the glaciers would disappear by the year 2035. Elephant census shows positive signs in West Bengal (Go to Top) Mahananda
sanctuary (WB): There is some good news on the wildlife front. An
elephant census in the state has indicated a rise in the number of the
endangered species. "We are very hopeful that the elephant population
is definitely on the rise. We had the elephant census just recently
from April 21 to April 28 in the entire north Bengal," P.T. Bhutia,
Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, said here. The week-long
census which was conducted at the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary, Buxa
Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary
and Garumara national park in the state, covered an area of 2,500 square
kilometers. Besides ascertaining the actual number of elephants, the
census also aimed to collect relevant information about their habitats
and means of their rehabilitation. According to the last census in 2000,
there were nearly 186 elephants in the region. Due to loss of corridors
and habitat, the elephants in the country, at present have scattered
in more than 15 States and their estimated population stands anywhere
between 15,000 and 20,000. The Asian elephant is an endangered species.
It is relentlessly poached for ivory and elephants have almost vanished
from China and Southwest Asia. India is among the few Asian countries
that boast of a large elephant population. Gangetic river dolphins struggling to survive: WWF (Go to Top) Gurmukhteshwar
(Uttaranchal): The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is frantically appealing
to save the Gangetic Dolphins in Garmukhteshwar, home to some of the
world's rare fresh water dolphins now being driven to extinction due
to poaching and excessive fishing. The World Conservation Union had
recently changed the status of the Platanista Gangetica, one of the
only four freshwater dolphins in the world, from vulnerable to endangered.
Latest surveys show the population, which swam freely in India's sprawling
Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems, had fallen to just 1500 from the
already moderate 5000 from the 1980s. WWF says fragmentation of their
habitat by barrages and dams, lack of awareness and education of the
river's stakeholders, pollution of large stretches in the rivers and
killing for oil and its blubber are its biggest threats. The international
body has now roped in local fishermen, school children, local environmental
groups and even armymen, for a riverboat rally to raise awareness about
saving the beautiful animals. The group is campaigning all along the
dolphin habitat in the Ganges, educating people of the threat these
extremely docile mammals are facing. Parikshit Gautam, Director-Fresh
Water and Wetlands Programme, WWF-India said the river dolphins are
the watchdogs of the water and keep it clean off natural toxins and
pollutants ensuring clean water for millions alongside the river plains.
Gautam said the locals are extremely aware of their environment but
did not know about conservation and this campaign was designed precisely
to plug this loophole. "Local people know that the presence of dolphins
and all but they do not know what threat they are facing. You must have
realised during the campaign they do care about the nearby areas including
the river, including the species but exactly they are not aware that
there is such a serious threat to the river dolphins. So this campaign
basically is part of our education and awareness programme vis-`-vis
dolphin conservation and that's why we want to do it all along the river
so that the major stakeholder, who are there all along the river are
at least aware. The government departments are coming forward, institutions
are coming forward, the schools are coming forward, so it has really
created a very good forum," he said. Pool treat for Asiatic Lions at Gir (Go to Top) Gir (Gujarat): The elusive Asiatic lion is soon going to get the perfect summer treat -- 400 new pools at the Gir wildlife reserve in Junagadh, Gujarat. Wildlife authorities at the reserve, which is the only home for the highly endangered Asiatic lions, have decided to create over 400 artificial water holes to help these majestic, but elusive cats beat the scorching Indian summer. Temperatures in the sprawling 2,500 square kilometre reserve mostly cross the 45 degree Celsius mark, which is enough to dehydrate and sap the energy out of these normally sturdy lions, who have been known to survive without food and water for over a fortnight. At the Gir sanctuary in Gujarat, officials are taking no chances and aremonitoring each water hole created round the clock to ensure a regular and clean supply. "One labourer maintains two water holes. Fills one and then moves to the other. He will also clean the water holes on alternate days because a lot of dust falls into it and the sun's rays create huge algae deposits. All of our workers have an extensive knowledge of the forest area," claimed Forest Officer B. Dave. Besides the lions, panthers, leopards, horned antelopes and wild boars are also benefiting from this new undertaking, most often preferring to plonk themselves near the cool water pools. The Gir lions have probably never had it better. The
latest census pegged their numbers at 359, an increase of 32 in just
four years. Today there are more lions living outside the Gir protected
area than ever before, said an expert associated with the census. In
2001, there were 327 lions and experts believed that some 50-odd of
them were outside the Gir protected area. Now, experts believe that
over 100 lions could be outside the core sanctuary area close to human
habitation. Many of them roam the Saurashtra coast from Diu to Rajula.
In fact, it was the fear that the lions were roaming outside that led
forest officials to take the census beyond the 1,412 sq km limits of
the sanctuary. Some officials even say that the sanctuary is no more
the preferred place for the lions and reports of killing of domestic
animals outside the sanctuary and the fall in number of sightings by
tourists is clear evidence of this. The majestic animals were once widely
distributed in Asia, from Asia Minor and Arabia through Persia to India
but before the close of the last century; the Asiatic lion had become
extinct from its range except Gir. Gir was declared a sanctuary in 1965
and since then efforts have been made by the forest department to protect
the area to ensure the survival and growth of the endangered specie
through sustained conservation efforts. Wildlife experts have however
warned that cats are facing increasing conflict with humans as increasing
population, encroachment by tribals and villagers leaves them exposed
to hunters and poachers. In recent months, the Indian Government has
expressed its growing concern over the reported disappearance of these
endangered cats, particularly the tiger with Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh himself rapping the authorities for not effectively monitoring
the reasons for their dwindling numbers. In India, official estimates
place the tiger population at 3,500 to 3,700, although some experts
say there are barely more than 2,000. Lord Rama's fortress is in shambles in Goa (Go to Top) Panaji
(Goa): Goa's largest fort, the Cabo de Rama Fort, which is believed
to have been the abode of Lord Rama for a brief period during his exile
from Ayodhya, is today in a decrepit state due to lack of maintenance
by the state's archaeological authorities. Located not far from the
Agonda Beach, the Cabo de Rama Fort has remained largely untouched,
even though many visitors pass through the area. The atmosphere around
the fort creates a sense of history and drama that very few would fail
to appreciate. According to local legend, Rama stayed here with his
wife Sita during his 14-year exile. "Definitely action is required for
the improvement of the fort, which presently lies the custody of the
Archives department of the state of Goa. Recently we have spend nearly
10 lakh rupees on the upgradation and upkeep of the fort. To attract
domestic tourists also a little publicity and upgradation is be required,"
said Elvis Gomes, a director with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
This stretch of land jutting into the sea upon which lies the ruins
of a Portuguese fort gives a spectacular view of the coastline to its
north, including the Colva beach. The fort came under Portuguese control
in 1763. It was occupied by the British Army between 1797-1813. This
fort until 1955 used to house a prison but all that now remains is a
small government post. There is a small church within the walls of the
fort. Tourists who come here also feel the same that it requires a lot
of maintenance work. "It is certainly an interesting place but it needs
a bit of restoration, if you want to make it a tourist attraction you
will have to develop it", said David, a tourist from England. "The worst
thing about the fort is that it is not kept clean like other forts.
People see and go because there is nothing, no trees are grown, no benches
are put for the tourists," said Anthony Cruz Mendes, a local. Though
the church within the fort is still in use, there is little of the fort
that remains to be seen today. |
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