The Onslaught on Oxygen & Water Banks
Most such green patches that still survive to this day have been fortunate enough to escape the wrath of concretization due to remote placement or exclusivity. Though much reduced in size and composition these are invaluable assets for rapidly expanding towns and cities of India.
Easy Acquisition of Invaluable Greens
It is ironic that even in these times of suffering from imminent ecological failure and climate change, natural places are not being spared. On the contrary, they are under intense scrutiny as lucrative developmental prospects - ready for concretization perhaps due to ease of acquisition? Another reason that seems apparent and facilitates concretization is the lack of humanity or rather the ubiquitous public ownership which makes acquisition an easier prospect.
For developers, the eyes are always on these reclusive patches of vacant lands irrespective of their natural worth to the cities. But this should not apply to green corridors and patches they should be preserved for eternity. It is nigh impossible to regenerate natural forests after destruction.
Save Dumna Plateau & Ecology
Take Dumna for example. A much-neglected elevated green plateau of Jabalpur which holds an airport built during the British Era and subsequently expanded, it is now a subject of intense scrutiny. As a matter of pride, the ecosystem stands as a fine model of urban conservation and displays impressive synergy between man and the surrounding wilderness, all this will be destroyed if urban projects devastate the home of other life forms.
These forests border the city confines and are home to Dumna Nature Reserve with an enclosed area of 1800 acres. It is well protected and receives a large number of visitors every year. The reserve is home to a large population of spotted deer, wild boars, jungle cats, jackals, foxes, and reptiles including marsh crocodiles, and other small mammals most of which are nocturnal. But please note the forests expand far beyond the reserve and form a corridor. The terrestrial diversity comprises mixed forests, grasslands, herbs, shrubs, and scrub each invaluable on its own, and together, in this fragile ecosystem.
The crocodiles find shelter in the large catchment of Khandari Reservoir within the reserve that supplies potable water to the city. Few leopards and perhaps hyenas survive within and outside the reserve. The ecological niche spreads out beyond the confines of the Nature Reserve and comprises invaluable species of flora and fauna, it is visited by avian migrants from the Palearctic and the Himalayas as well.
The forests in Jabalpur's outskirts are interconnected and act as corridors for migration for the diminishing wilderness that still survives. The last remaining patch of green in Jabalpur is least capable of taking on the projects slated, being an ecologically sensitive area with a preservation history that dates back more than 150 years. The forests support a number of water bodies in the surroundings neighboring the villages.
Planned Projects in A Leopard Habitat
The plan for a man-made tiger safari in the nature park would have wreaked havoc on the floral elements and the fauna in the nature reserve, and the visitor numbers would have been stressful on this ecosystem. Thankfully as it appears, it is nowhere in the picture now perhaps due to litigation that ensued? A number of PIL have been filed in Jabalpur High Court against the developmental spree in this ecologically sensitive area.
The establishment of IITGM on 100 acres was the first alarm that set in among the nature lovers of Jabalpur, a number of citizens who are sizeable and active in conservation initiatives. The establishment of IITGM is encroachment into natural land, the barbed wire wall prevents the free movement of wild animals besides enhancing prospects of man-animal conflict.
Besides IITGM a number of projects are slated here which is not at all desired keeping the nature of the land in consideration. From amusement parks, and public offices to a five-star hotel all bode ill for one of the last remaining pieces of natural land in the town. Wise counsel should prevail to prevent this concretization and the projects should be planned elsewhere since there is no dearth of vacant land on the outskirts.
Although the reserve was subject to exploitation in earlier times, the status has accorded some much-needed protection. Spread all around the protected area are forests mostly mixed with scattered patches of bamboo, much exploited and ravaged in the past. The network thus forms a greater ecosystem that once flourished in totality but as of now is badly fragmented but still invaluable for climate stability and for humanity.
Following the establishment of IITGM at Dumna a large number of projects are slated in this invaluable eco-niche one of the few remaining lungs of the city. The overzealous developmental zeal which is clearly evident in this beleaguered urbanity that is Jabalpur is not leaving this ecosystem a mini patch of green unscathed.
The article does not target a particular dispensation, but it urges the planners' future and present to avoid places with biodiversity however small that which have ecological importance. Hence the plea is to leave Dumna untouched and prevent the scars that concretization will eventually bring in.
Dumna Source of Potable Water & Fresh Air
By urbanizing Dumna, one of the last remaining green patches we are sure to lose the green lungs that the city strives for in times of intense pollution and hectic biotic activities. The hills do not have the capacity to bear the reckless establishment of structures that will come up eventually under the projects that are slated to target this valuable eco-niche.
Khandari Dam is a wetland ecosystem that sustains fast-vanishing terrestrial and aquatic species in and around Jabalpur. It is a valuable source of water for the town, though not under direct threat destruction of the surrounding biome would have a negative impact on the catchment area.
More on Dumna Nature Reserve
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Uday works as a freelance naturalist and loves to write on related issues. He also provides SEO and content writing services. He runs classes on digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur.
He can be contacted :
pateluday90@hotmailcom
9755089323
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