THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 5: The Medininagar Forest Division (MFD) has raised a huge water body in its Loyenga protected forest. It has 12 to 13 feet of water now.
Credit for this water body goes to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of MFD Satyam Kumar, who and his team made a ‘perfect selection of site of water body keeping in mind the presence of live downstream.’
Water bodies fail or decay if their selection of site, availability of the stream up or down, vegetation around etc, are not properly surveyed.
The Loyenga protected forest water body is an example of combination of thumb rule engineering and methodology in rainwater management.
There is a live stream north to south and despite the soil being pebbly, the construction of the water body is such that it can overcome water topping in torrential times.
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Cost-Effective Construction with Strong Safeguards
Ranger of Van Ropan Ajay Toppo told this correspondent, “Our DFO Satyam Kumar gave us freedom to build a water body and we worked hard to retain his faith and trust in us.”
Cost wise this Loyenga protected forest water body is ‘cheap’. It’s worth little over 7 lakhs an estimated cost, which is three times less than any such water body that comes up under the various rural development schemes, costing 20 lakhs to 25 lakhs.
There is stone and boulder pitching to restrict soil erosion from the top. Grasses have been grown further to embolden the boulders and stone pitching. However, more grass raising is needed to cover the length and breadth of the stone and boulder pitching here.
DFO’s Stand Against Stone Mafia and Environmental Damage
DFO of Medininagar Forest Division (MFD) Satyam Kumar has this conviction that excessive stone mining has most adversely affected the underground water table. Stone mafias in their haste and lust for more money have even “broken and damaged the underground water table.”
Administrative sources said Satyam Kumar is most ‘hated’ by the stone mafias as a few months back, he and his team had cracked down against the illegal and unauthorized stone mining and crushing in Chhaterpur areas where 5 of the forest personnel were injured by the crowd of people instigated by the stone mafias to harm and hurt the forest personnel.
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The injured forest personnel were admitted late night to the MMCH Daltonganj.
The National Green Tribunal suo moto took cognizance of the case in which forest personnel were attacked and hurt by the mob provoked and incited by the stone mafias.
However, police investigation appears to be a watershed on such a dangerous trend of stone mafias taking law into hand and putting innocent men and women as human shields for attacking and hurting the forest personnel out to foil theft or loot of the stone and boulder for use in the stone crushing plant. The injured forest personnel are now under scrutiny of law, police which is a queer turn of event.
Wildlife and Plantation Thrive Around Water Body
The Loyenga protected forest water body is a favourite spot for the herds of the Nilgais. Ayodhaya Yadav, a watcher of the forest office here, said, “Let evening come and there will be any number of the Nilgais here for drinking water.”
Farmer’s cattle too have this water for them. Fish rearing in this water body is yet to be decided.
Close to this water body is a new plantation in its fourth year, spread over 74 hectares, where plants are of the height of an adult or many of the height of a school child. But huge greenery and vegetation are there. There are more than 1 L of the new plantation.
The mortality rate of the new plantation is around 10 per cent and Nilgais are the ones to be blamed for the losses of plants like guava and Indian gooseberry called Aonla.
Sagwan, sheesham and khair plantations are preferred most as these are non-grazing plants. Hoeing and weeding are done at the appropriate time.
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Future Plans for Water Security in Forests
The Loyenga protected forest water body was raised in record time of three to four months. No resistance came in the way, said Ranger of Van Ropan Ajay Toppo.
DFO of MFD Satyam Kumar has directed the team to go for more and more management of water bodies in the jungles, as Palamu is a rain shadow area, and miles and miles of forests remain without any source of water around.
Every acute summer, deers stray into human habitation for water and here their lives are at stake by the pariah dogs. Dogs bite and maul deer. A common man now tries to save a deer so strayed which is a paradigm shift in approach to deer which fits any dining table!
