landslide triggered by heavy rain has badly affected Odisha’s Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR). Heavy boulders, gushing rainwater and overflowing rivulets have destroyed nearly 300 hectares of forest area in the buffer zone.
According to eyewitnesses, more than 1,000 trees have been uprooted, and big boulders were seen scattered all over the region. However, no human or wildlife casualties have been reported so far. This is the first time that Simlipal Tiger Reserve has been hit by landslide.
According to Field Director Anup Nayak, the landslide could have been caused by minor tremors coupled with heavy rain. He has written to the Geological Survey of India(GSI) to visit the reserve and study the event.
Experts, however, blame the devastation on felling of trees that used to take place earlier leaving soil vulnerable to erosion. “This had been continuing for years, with stretches of forest land left bare, thereby making the soil loose and dry,” they pointed out.
During heavy rain, the soil, specially from hillocks, gets easily washed away. It triggers a chain reaction, throwing down stones and boulders off hillocks.
The Honorary Wildlife wardens, Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Bhanumitra Acharya and Sanjukta Basa, who visited the site, along with range officer lD Behera, said, the incident had been taking place since the past two-three days with heavy rain, in the Bisoi range of Rairangpur forest Division.
The affected area was strewn with large boulders that could be as heavy as 1.5 tonnes-2 tonnes. These appeared to have come tumbling down with the gushing waters from the hillock of Raikadkocha in the area. “The swirling water and boulders tore down even thick trees and crushed them as if they were sugar canes,” said Acharya. One of the major varieties of trees prolific in the region is the various species of the sturdy sal.
Post the devastation, a new rivulet has also emerged in the area as an added source of concern. The rivulet is flowing close to the Raikadkocha village, located on the lower slopes of the hillock. This is managed by the local eco-development committee.
There are about 100 families living in this village, which also has a school. Experts do not rule out flooding of the village and feel priority must be given towards relocating the villagers at the earliest. Nayak pointed out that the precautionary measures would be taken at the earliest. The preparatory measures for the future would largely depend on the proposed recommendations given by the Geological Survey of India. He informed that patrolling in the forest has been stepped up with the help of local village communities. This has helped to reduce illicit felling of trees.. The eco-development committees have also taken up the work of afforestation in the respective stretches of forest, to improve the green cover, he added.