ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Orissa is facing environmental degradation worse than any other states in the
country. The root cause of the disaster is the large-scale deforestation over
the past few decades.
Forests cover nearly 37 percent of the total area of the state. It is mainly
divided into four:
1) Dense forest
2) Sparse dense forest
3) Tidal forest
4) Almost devoid of trees and fallow forest land.
Environmentally
sound forest, help to maintain the ecological balance and
hence, area coverage of dense forest has to be increased. The drastic reduction
of forests is primarily due to unauthorised felling, forest fires, fast growing
cattle population, unauthorised overgrazing, encroachment on forest land for
sedentary peasant cultivation, shifting cultivation and above all population
explosion. This has resulted in a reduction in rainfall, heavy increase in the
frequency of floods and droughts. Top soil which is created by nature over
thousands of years is eroded as a result of shower, filling up the artificial reservoirs
and river beds downstream, reducing the rate of percolation.
Consequently, wells, springs and other water bodies dry up.
The huge cattle population does not allow under-growth to thrive. Seeds are
spoiled and new germination takes place. Consequently, the shrubs are reduced to
pastures. The population increase has also played its part in environmental degradation. The human,
need tonnes of fuel wood for cooking and for factories. Hence, the
firewood needs have to be met through social forestry. By 2001 AD, the position may be more gloomy as Orissa will need 13.903 million tonnes of firewood, 0.184
million tonnes of bamboo, 0.267million tonnes of wood and 34,366 million tonnes of fodder and
leaves for cattle. To meet these requirements the government needs to create
extra forest land of 70,135 sq.km. Overgrazing, overcutting and forest fires should be checked.
The tribal population practicing shifting cultivation on an extensive scale
endangers
direct loss of valuable forest cover. The study has projected that by 2001 AD the forest will be reduced to only
16,731 km2 accounting for only 10.74 percent of the total geographical area, if
the present trend is unchecked. This is the core of the problem. To avoid this
disastrous situation it is more prudent to provide protection to the denuded
forests and allow them to regenerate. This will be less costly. The people
should be involved in the afforestation programme. This massive deforestation has resulted in environmental degradation in an
acute form, the results of which are felt on reservoirs, like the Hirakud and
lakes like Chilka which are being silted up rapidly.
1. HIRAKUD
The silt deposits in the Hirakud is increasing year after year. The ORSAC
states that if this situation continues unchecked, by 2065 AD,460.3 million
acre feet of slit will be deposited in the reservoir which is about 70.2
percent of the dead storage capacity level. All this is the direct result of
deforestation.
2. CHILKA
 The largest brackish water lake in India is facing environmental disaster.
Due to the massive deforestation in the upper reaches of the Mahanadi and in the
eastern Ghats, it is being silted up rapidly. Due to silting in the north-east
and north-west sectors of the lake, the average depth of Chilka has been
reduced. Apart from this, its 31 km long channel from Magarmukh to Arkhakud where it
meets the Bay of Bengal has been choked up by innumerable islands of varied sizes
in the channel by silt and sand-dunes from the Bay of Bengal. The choking of
the mouth obstructs the outflow of water from the lake and also the inrush of
tidal salt water. This has recited in a decrease in salinity of the water of
Chilka.
A large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh who settled on the
northern shore of the lake use fishing nets of fine mesh because of which prawn
and other types of fish and crabs, are not growing and their number is fast
declining. In fact, the fish catch has declined due to over harvesting. More than 158 fish species are facing extinction.
Partial restriction of
prawn catch during breeding time (Sep-Dec) is one of the solutions to the
problem. Restriction of fishing inside the lake is another solution. Reduction in salinity is
adversely affecting the aquatic life in the lake.
A large number of avifauna (birds) visit the lake during winter. But, now the
number has declined. This may be due to the fact that they did not find any perching ground.
Weed lands are fast being silted up and being converted into marshes.
Several proposals have been mooted to save
Chilka. These include desiltation
of the bed. If this is implemented, the plankton which is a food source for fish
and birds, will be affected which, in turn will adversely affect the fish and bird
population. A massive afforestation programme needs to be carried out in the
Eastern Ghats and the upper reaches of the Mahanadi to check silt inflow into
the lake. Fourteen old mouths have been identified to flush out flood water from the lake during the south-west monsoon
and to allow fresh tidal water from the Bay of Bengal. To keep the proposed
artificial mouths open, spurs need to be constructed. Palur canal should not be deepened as it may carry monazite sand into
Chilka,
the effect of which on fauna has not been properly examined.
3. SIMILIPAL
The Similipal Tiger Reserve Area has also suffered heavy deforestation due to
shifting cultivation of the tribes who live inside the project area and also due
to large scale unauthorised felling of trees in deep forests.
4.DANDAKURANYA
Large Hectares
of forest land were lost and consequently has completely changed
the environment of the region and ecosystem has been degraded. As a result, old
districts of Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir of Orissa have become chronically
drought prone.
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