By Barnes Mawrie
A news report on Uganda shows that charcoal industry in that country has ripped off a large portion of its forest reserves. Many local people are lamenting that the age-old respect and reverence for nature has diminished rapidly. Charcoal seems to be a principal cheap energy source for people in Uganda and that has increased the demand for it and consequently production has gone up thereby leading to large scale deforestation. Many local people have taken drastic measures to put an end to this destructive economic practice.
Coming closer home to our state, we all know that charcoal consumption is still very high especially during the winter months. Charcoal is also being supplied to other states of the country. This industry is being largely practiced in West Khasi Hills. Truckloads of charcoal are being transported from this area to Shillong and other places in and outside the state. This industry has been responsible for the massive deforestation in many parts of West Khasi Hills. Anyone who has visited Nongkhnum Island, will have realized that the forest cover in the island has literally disappeared due to charcoal burning.
Although charcoal industry is being practiced in other districts of the state, yet the most affected area is undoubtedly West Khasi Hills. In fact, many parts of this area wear a bald appearance due to absence of trees. We all know how important trees are to every living being. Trees and plants give us oxygen to breathe in and absorb much of the CO2 that living beings produce. From this perspective, trees are the lifeline for humans. Trees and plants perform another important function – they help to retain water derived from rainfall and also protect the rich soil from being eroded. It is enough to see the adverse impact of tree deficit in Sohra region in order to convince us of this fact. If Sohra experiences shortage of water in spite of the heaviest rainfall on earth (an irony in itself), it is precisely because the rain water is not retained due to the absence of forests. Apart from this, Sohra is known to be rocky because it has lost all of its alluvium (rich top soil) due to erosion during the summer rains, once again due to the absence of trees. Bangladesh is the gainer in all of this, as it gets all the water supply as well as all the rich alluvium from our hills. The same is happening in West Khasi Hills due to the indiscriminate deforestation brought about by charcoal industry.
What will happen to the poor people if charcoal industry is halted? How will they ever survive? These are legitimate questions. However, we all know that this is not a sustainable economic activity since the forests are limited natural resources. So the question we should ask is: what sustainable industry should replace this ecologically harmful industry? West Khasi Hills is endowed with exquisite natural beauty which should be fully exploited by the ministry of tourism. Tourism would definitely be an ecologically sustainable industry to replace charcoal-based economy. It would be unfair to ban charcoal and timber industry in West Khasi Hills if the government does not offer the poor people an alternative means of earning.
If people in Sohra are able to earn their living, nay even become well-off, it is due to the growth of tourism in this area. Recent statistics show that the flow of tourists to Sohra has shot up beyond expectations. The home-stays are full to capacity and reservations are waitlisted. The same could happen to West Khasi Hills where people could easily become economically well-off through tourism. For this to happen, the government should invest heavily in infrastructure and in publicity. Most tourists from outside the state remain ignorant about the tourists spots in West Khasi Hills. Many states in India invest heavily in publicizing their tourist spots on national TV channels, but our state has not made adequate investments in advertising the tourist destinations.
Nongkhnum Island is one tourist spot that has been under-utilized due to poor investment and publicity. If residents of this island were to be fully engaged in tourist activities, they would definitely give up charcoal burning. Deforestation should be stopped at all costs because it is a threat to our own survival. We would love to see one day that West Khasi Hills becomes a tourists’ haven and the local people fully engaged in this industry and renouncing once and for all the ecologically destructive charcoal industry.
(The writer is author of The Khasis and their Natural Environment)