Debrigarh gets greener meadow along Hirakud shoreline, animal sighting improves

Bhubaneswar: A stretch of almost 300 sq km along Hirakud reservoir shoreline, running adjacent the boundary of Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, has been transformed into a vast natural meadow that now attracts large numbers of prey animals and improving wildlife sightings for tourists.

Spread across a 100-km shoreline ecotone of the Hirakud wetland, a Ramsar Convention site, the restored belt ranges from 2 km to 5 km in width and has emerged as an important feeding, breeding and resting habitat for wild animals and birds. Forest officials said repeated removal of invasive ipomoea weeds and toxic plant species such as Hyptis and Sorghum, followed by the broadcasting (a method of sowing seeds by scattering them over a large area) of native grasses, changed the character of the landscape over the past two years.

Divisional forest officer of Hirakud wildlife division Anshu Pragyan Das said the shoreline ecotone, where wetland and forest meet, has become crucial for sustaining wildlife in the Debrigarh-Hirakud landscape. Das said the restoration drive included planting nutritious native grasses such as heteropogon, cynodon, chloris and panicum after clearing harmful vegetation.

“The meadow now supports mega herbivores such as Indian bison, with more than 300 individuals reportedly using the area this summer because of the availability of soft and palatable grasses. Sambars and spotted deer have also been frequently seen grazing in the restored grassland, while diverse wader species use the wetland edge,” Das said.

The increase in prey animals has also started drawing predators from Debrigarh, including leopards and wild dogs, closer to the shoreline. Forest authorities said the improved prey base is helping strengthen the food chain and ecological balance in the area, especially during the harsh summer months when food availability becomes critical.

The restoration has also boosted tourism. The road running along the shoreline is used by safari vehicles, and officials said better grassland management led to improved animal sightings in the past two years. Visitors are now more likely to spot bison, sambar and deer in open meadow patches that were earlier choked by invasive weeds.

Authorities said the ipomoea removal was carried out scientifically to prevent regrowth. Excavators were used to uproot the weed, while care was taken to pile debris in a way that roots did not touch the ground again. Officials also used soil solarisation, covering the uprooted area with sheets to destroy any remaining traces of the invasive plant and stop future spread.