SHILLONG, Oct 16: With the aim of reversing the rate of deforestation and to promote mutual coexistence, the state’s Forest department is going to rear as many as 42 lakh seedlings in 11 high tech nurseries for quality planting materials to restore areas affected by rampant stone and coal mining while also laying stress on nature friendly mechanism like algae treatment to restore and rejuvenate rivers affected by acid mine drainage.
“We have ambitious targets for afforestation and this year we are rearing around 42 lakh seedlings for large-scale plantation for reclamation of areas affected by stone and coal mining. We are recreating around 11 of these high tech nurseries which will provide quality planting materials to restore all those areas,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) BK Lyngwa.
He informed that the process has just started and it will take some time before positive results start showing.
According to the PCCF, in respect of the forest cover there is a problem of Jhum cultivation, expanding human habitations, road infrastructure and also illegal felling of trees.
Stating that there is currently loss in forest cover, he however said for every forest cover depleted for construction purposes under the Forest Conservation Act, there is a mechanism for compensatory afforestation and that takes time but eventually it will.
“We have so many cases that we have approved under the Forest Conservation Act and compensatory afforestation has been carried out and we are trying to clear the backlog,” he added.
The PCCF said illegal felling is one of the reasons for the depleting forest covers and pointed out that Forest and Environment Minister James PK Sangma had recently announced a revamped Meghalaya Forest Regulation Act making punishment very stringent so that it will act as a deterrent.
Talking about manpower, he admitted that there is a shortage and informed that the department had also taken staff on deputation from Home Guards but the problem still persists.
He informed that initially the mandate of the department was to look after the reserve forests which extended to forested areas outside the reserve forest through the Social Forestry wing after which wildlife sanctuaries and national parks were created.
Talking about rejuvenating the rivers affected by coal mining, he said that the expert committee on restoration of water bodies is looking at that aspect and like Lukha river where algae treatment was done to revive the river, the same process will be adopted in other rivers affected by acid mining drainage.
