A decongestion drive of bamboo clumps in Palamu tiger reserve is on. There are patches of 50 acres each of bamboo clumps in compartments 3 & 5 of Said up under Chhipadohar East range of the Palamu tiger reserve.
Giving this information field director of PTR Mohan Lal said decongestion of bamboo clumps is very important as otherwise the clumps will die its own death and also the growth of the bamboos will be stunted and retarded.
Lal had toured Chhipadohar East range of PTR on Friday and found this problem too acute with the bamboos there said sources.
Describing bamboos as the mainstay fodder for the elephants here in PTR Lal said any loss to bamboo will mean loss of food for the elephants here and so PTR has embarked upon cleansing bamboo clumps here.
Clump cleansing is in full swing in Saidup compartments number 5 & 3 wherein labourers drawn from the adjoining villages have been engaged on daily wages.
On the harms of the congested bamboo clumps Lal said “ The harms are manifold. The length of the shoots of the bamboo gets shorter. The status of the bamboos gets fragile. Once treated with soil raising and creating natural water positioning bamboos shoot much faster.”
Lal said, “I have directed PTR officials to use cow dung fertliser which will augment the income of those villagers who are in a position to sell cow dung. It is a good fertilizer. In the event of its non availability then DAP fertilizer will be used but my stress is for cow dung fertilizer.”
“Manual job of cleansing of clumps by village labourers and then this purchase of cow dung fertilizer from the villagers are to serve as a connecting link to villagers to make them feel that PTR is theirs and PTR is also for them,” said Lal.
However, field director expressed concern over the fast receding water level in the water holes and water bodies in the PTR.
He has invented an indigenous device to gauge the receding time and scale of water in water holes and water bodies.
He has done what many will find a rural man’s technique. Lal has got one bamboo sunk in a selective manner in a few water holes and water bodies like Ghat Kutti and Usul on January 11 and after ten days January 21 these bamboos so sunk in the water holes and water bodies will be again observed as to how much water has receded in 10 days.
Lal said this indigenous way to measure the quantum of water in water hole and water body will help prepare PTR to fight drinking water crisis for wild life much in advance that is before the real onset of cruel summer here.