By PS Nongbri
In general terms, ‘Environment’ means – the land we live on, the air we breathe, the water we drink, plants, trees and flowers, the animals, fishes, insects, micro-organisms that inhabit our planet earth including human beings. It also means the lifestyles of the people living in the four corners of this world including the inter-relationship with the earth’s resources, animals, plants, etc.
Forests are the main source of our lives, giving fresh air – ‘oxygen’. During the day green plants in the presence of sunlight absorb carbon-dioxide in the process known as photosynthesis. They manufacture their food, giving out oxygen as a waste product. This oxygen is the main source of life and is referred t as pure air. In this process, the poisonous air or carbon-dioxide which we breathe out in the process of respiration and also during burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, etc., are absorbed by plants. If there were no forests and green plants, the atmosphere would be full of carbon-dioxide and other poisonous gases and all living beings would have perished a long time ago. The relationship between our survival and forests, trees and green plants is crucial. Hence wanton destruction of forests will bring destruction to us humans and other living beings.
In other relationships between forests and the survival of human beings, forests are the main source of manure for the soil which is the life support of all living beings on this earth. Without soil, plants cannot grow and without plants we will not survive. The leaves of trees act as umbrellas which protect the topsoil. Cutting down trees will leave the topsoil open to rain, snow and heat from the sun, etc. Rainfall slowly erodes and carries away the soil and humus from the forests to streams and rivers. In this process, the top soil which is rich with humus and manure is lost thereby making the land unfit for cultivation.
In our state, forests are cut and burnt for jhum cultivation, charcoal burning and commercial exploitation which destroy the soil even more. When the leaves and humus are burnt to ashes, the area is exposed and left to the mercy of the rains which wash away the ashes, the manure and seeds to nearby streams and rivers. That is why, in the first year, there are still some crops that can grow but in the following years the production diminishes to the point where people have to move from one place to another and resume cutting down other forest areas. We should understand that especially on steep slopes this process is very harmful to nature.
In Sohra due to heavy rainfall and continuous burning of grassland and the exposed nature of the land, the top soil has been washed away and the land can no longer support agricultural cultivation or tree cover except grasses. Even the grass is subjected to annual fires in which leaves and humus are washed away thus leaving the area in a continuous barren state. It can be observed in our homes when we keep sand in the open without covering it. The sand is washed away by rain water. In the same manner, top soil when left open is washed away. The soil and debris which are washed away in this manner are deposited in river beds which then makes the river shallow. To add to the injury, the increase in siltation of river beds and water bodies, dams etc. is due to the exposure of hills caused by mining, road construction and the haphazard dumping of debris which is washed away by the rain water to the streams, rivers and dams etc. Due to this shallowness, heavy rainfalls cause floods and lead to reduction of water storage capacity in dams. It also results in loss of lives, property and also renders agricultural land unfit for cultivation as the rains carry sand and pebbles which makes the land infertile.
Similarly the relationship between forests and the survival of human beings depends on sources of water. As discussed earlier, the presence of leaves and trees protect the soil from direct contact with rain water. Rain which falls with great velocity can erode the soil. The presence of leaves in the forests breaks that velocity and splits the raindrops into tiny droplets. These droplets fall slowly on the soil and are absorbed. The presence of dead leaves and humus also acts as a cushion. In this process, rain water enters the inner ground water reservoirs inside the soil and enables the springs and streams to flow continuously even in the dry seasons. However, without the presence of leaves and trees, the rain water erodes the top soil and runs off without penetrating the surface, leaving the streams and rivers to dry up during dry seasons.
In Sohra when the rains come, streams and rivers flow in torrents but after sometime there is no more water. The same can be seen when we water our gardens and use sprinklers where water comes out in droplets thus enabling the water to enter the soil, rather than throwing a bucket full of water in the garden bed which will wash away the soil instead of penetrating inside the soil.
Inside the forest, the temperature, especially the moisture, is cooler. The sun rays cannot enter the earth’s surface directly thereby reducing the temperature of the soil and reducing water evaporation. Due to reduced evaporation the streams and rivers have a continuous flow of water throughout the year. This is why water in the forest is colder and has a continuous flow, whereas in the open areas as the sunrays have direct contact with the land surface, water evaporation is higher thereby reducing water storage capacity.
In our state an alarming situation has arisen where small valleys used for cultivation are not getting enough water because the forests on the surrounding hills are not protected. We may have land for cultivation but may experience water scarcity. There are times when rains are delayed and farmers are unable to plough their fields.
The Umtyngar River, one of our drinking water sources of GSWSS has run dry during February, 2024. Another cause of reduction of water retention capacity on the hills and even the forest areas is due to the continuous burning of hills and forest land. Forest lands, especially pine forests are subjected to two or three cycles of burning. This happens every time the easily inflammable pine needles fall on the forest floor, especially during dry windy season. This continuous burning leads to hardening of the soil surface so that when the rain water falls in these areas it cannot penetrate into the soil. This increases run- off, while the underground water reservoir does not get recharged. So also the seedlings and saplings buried under the humus covering the floor are destroyed. In this manner, our drinking water sources; the streams, rivers, springs have started drying up. We may have dams but if there is no continuous flow from the streams and rivers, these will go dry especially if there is less rain, as these are now dependent only on rain water.
People are now concerned about the sources of drinking water. Even people living in remote villages are facing scarcity of clean water due to the above reasons. Another reason is that the sources are polluted due to haphazard dumping of wastes from the upstream habitations, rendering the downstream water source unfit for human consumption. Pumping of underground water also reduces the flow of our nearby springs, water tables and wells.
Let us take into consideration the recent discussions in the Assembly regarding the Umiew River and Ganol River, which are the main water sources for Shillong and Tura town respectively. Both these sources are drying up. The Umtyngar River has already stopped flowing and is running dry. This is the sign that the sources are drying up. It is not only the Umtyngar River that is drying up but other sources supplying drinking water to villages are also drying up. If we look into the Mawphlang Reservoir, one should ponder on the volume of water retention capacity and the volume required for supplying to different localities. Taking a reference to the News: ST-March, 04, 2024, the daily requirement of water for those areas under the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme, Mawphlang is about 51.30 MLD and the drinking water supplied is only 26 MLD which is only half the requirement. Is the volume of water in the reservoir sufficient to cater to people’s requirements?
An observation made by a fisherman is that the water retention capacity of the reservoir has decreased due to siltation. He also said that, “The fishing line earlier indicated that the depth of the reservoir is deeper; now the fishing line shows a parallel or a straight line.” This shows that siltation has taken place, especially in the upstream of this reservoir. It is therefore high time for us to protect the catchments of all the drinking water sources by protecting and enriching the existing forests and also aiding the degraded forest through afforestation with indigenous species and strict protection from destruction and fire. Otherwise, if there is less rainfall, we will be facing the same problem like the city of Cape Town in South Africa, where even public toilets, car wash etc., have to be closed down. Cape Town is heading for a “Day Zero” where water will not be available by April this year. So also, Bengaluru is facing an acute water crisis as the main supply reservoirs are drying up due to less rain in 2023.
There is an old Khasi saying, “When the water from the plains will return to the hills….” I personally cannot imagine how this could be possible? How can water from the plains of Bangladesh or Assam come to the hills? But this saying has come true. Nowadays, we are drinking bottled water which comes from the plains. Fortunately, God has been kind to our land and we have enough rains to supplement the environmental needs of both plants and animals etc. But for how long if we assault the environment? We need to Act now!
(The writer is retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer)