Bhitarkanika fest showcases benefits of mangrove trees

Kendrapada: A day-long Mangrove Festival (Hental Mohostava), jointly organised by Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society (GMTMCS), and the forest department, was held at Ramanagar within Bhitarkanika National Park on Saturday.After inaugurating the festival, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Nabarangpur forest division Suvendu Prasad Behera, said, “Bhitarkanika National Park is a Ramsar site. It is home to a great variety of wildlife, including spotted deer, saltwater crocodiles, water monitors, pythons and sambars. It is also home to large numbers of migratory birds in winter. Many people perished in the seaside villages in Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts on Oct 29, 1999, in the super cyclone. But the mangrove forest-covered villages were not affected, as mangrove trees acted as barriers against the surging tidal wave. Beautiful water bodies with lush green mangrove forest along with many crocodiles, birds, snakes and other animals are assets of Bhitarkanika. Its mesmerised beauty attracts travellers from different corners of the country and world.”Santanu Kumar Dalei, the forest range officer of Mahakalapada, said, “ We under police protection demolished illegal shrimp farms over the forest and revenue land recently. We will demolish the remaining ones too, which are run in violation of the coastal regulation zone and rulings of the Supreme Court and high court .We also planted mangrove saplings over the dismantled shrimp farms to convert the area into mangrove forests. Shrimp farm owners also dump the effluents of the gherries into the nearby rivers and ponds. They also pollute the groundwater sources in the villages. Illegal prawn farms also pose a direct threat to the nearby rich mangrove forests.”Implementation of Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) programme began in financial year 2023-24 to restore degraded mangroves, funded by Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Ten years ago, the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) declared 192 villages around Bhitarkanika as eco-sensitive zones to prevent ecological damage caused by development activities around Bhitarkanika, known as India’s second largest mangrove forest after the Sunderbans in West Bengal,” added Dalei.Addressing the meeting, GMTMCS secretary Hemant Kumar Rout said, “Coastal areas of Odisha are highly vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters. Natural calamities almost every year are one of the major causes of the underdevelopment of Odisha. After each disaster, the government appoints sundry committees to check losses. But all reports gather dust in official files, even after two decades of super cyclone for which coastal people continue to suffer.”Suvranshu Das, an environmentalist of the district, said: “Mangrove forests provide a formidable natural barrier against cyclones and storm surges and play an important part in stabilising the shore line. They also serve as the nesting and breeding ground of various terrestrials, arboreal, benthic and aquatic organisms. It contributes immensely to the growth of estuarine fishery resources besides yielding timbers, firewood, honey and medicines for which many locals have united to save the forest from the encroachers.”Many locals, schoolchildren, college students, panchayat body members and others attended the festival.