Environment Notes

Anti-poaching operations on

Forest officials of Uttarakhand have started an anti-poaching operation to curb illegal hunting of animals. As water sources in Uttarakhand forests dry up with the onset of summer, animals are forced to move beyond the forest boundaries thus becoming vulnerable to poaching. Extra patrols have been arranged to detect barbed wires that are used to capture wild animals by poachers.

"We patrol every range of the forest to catch poachers. We also look in those places where there are some people living. We also look for barbed fencing which are laid for animals," said L.S. Martolia, Range Officer, Tarai Central Forest Division. According to the forest authorities, poaching increases in summer as animal skins dry up faster. Forest officials say they are using the available infrastructure effectively. "We look after those animals that come to the outer part of the forest for water, and get caught by the poachers. Our main aim is to find the barbed wire laid for animals. We even train our officers for doing a more efficient job. We will also use metal detectors and sniffer dogs to stop poaching," said Dr Parag Madhuker, Divisional Forest Officer of the Tarai Central Forest Division. Meanwhile, reports reaching the state capital suggest that despite preventive steps being taken by the authorities, poaching continues in Jim Corbett National Park. Ramnagar district shares about 30 kilometres boundary with the park and 90 kilometres of villages adjoin it. Therefore, there is more activity of the locals in this forest area.

"The staff there is more focused on production and protection of forests. They are focused on these two things. Somewhere or the other, the percentage of locals visiting their forest region is more than ours. Our forests are not that affected by the general public coming and going as the adjoining forests are. There is a lot of pressure from the locals there," said Umesh Chandra Tiwari, Park Warden of Corbett Tiger Reserve. Forest officials say they are using the available infrastructure effectively. "In accordance with all these things, we make protection plans and we get a result according to that. This is definitely a challenging job," said P.K. Patra, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ramnagar. Patra claimed that they have successfully handled many poaching cases and many people have been prosecuted.

Leopard found dead, another injures man

A leopard was found dead near the Rajaji National Park while another spotted cat injured a man in Pauri district of Uttarakhand. Official sources said the carcass of a three-year-old leopard was noticed in a river by residents of Banjarewala area near Rajaji park on Wednesday. They informed forest officials and a post-mortem would be conducted to know the cause of death. In another incident, a man Rampal Singh was injured in a leopard attack at Baskot village of Pauri district. He has been admitted to a nearby hospital where his condition is stated to be out of danger, the sources said.

Govt unlikely to consider ultra mega hydro projects

The government may not consider high capacity hydro power projects on the lines of coal-based ultra mega power projects as they are unviable to execute due to difficult terrain. "Hydro power projects based on competitive bidding route are not a feasible option because of the geological surprises in the execution of hydro projects," a power ministry official said. The Ministry of Power had earlier envisaged setting up high capacity hydro projects of about 2,000 MW on the pattern of coal-based ultra mega power projects of 4,000 MW capacity. The tariff based competitive bidding route is not really workable in case of hydro power projects as it would be difficult to ascertain the levelised tariff in hydel projects, he said. "Geological surprises would make it difficult to ascertain the tariff from the projects and therefore would be difficult," he added. In the year 2008, the Power Ministry mooted the idea of setting up high capacity or ultra mega hydro projects of 2,000 MW in Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand under tariff-based international competitive bidding route. The total hydro power potential in the country stands at about 1,50,000 MW, according to Central Electricity Authority data. The current installed power generation capacity in the country is over 1,57,000 MW, of which more than 36,000 MW is hydro

Strawberry cultivation gets boost

Strawberry cultivation gets a boost in Uttarakhand's Chajji district as weather suits the cultivation of a variety of strawberries from Holland. The test cultivation of Holland strawberries conducted in a poly house at Chajji Floriculture Park recently gave a good yield. Horticulture experts believe that production of Holland strawberries would be beneficial for the state farmers. "One, the size of the fruit is big; second, the height of the strawberry plant is unique and there is more fruiting on the plants of Holland strawberry," said Sanjay Sinha, technical advisor at Chajji Floriculture Park. The production of Holland strawberries would reap rich dividends as compared to other varieties. "If the proper way is followed for the cultivation, the plants of Holland strawberry give more fruit. The basic difference between Holland cultivation and other varieties is that farmers can reap three crops in a year compared to one crop a year in other varieties," said Vinod Kumar, an agriculture expert at Chajji Floriculture Park. The state Horticulture Department is planning to make Uttarakhand a hub for strawberry production and has scheduled training sessions for farmers in the state.