Environment / Assam

GOLAGHAT, April 2 ? In North Numbor Reserve Forest and Upper and Lower Doigrung Reserve Forest within Golaghat district, a census of wild elephants was undertaken by the Forest Department recently. In the forest, covering an area of 19,500 hectares, the census found only 56 wild elephants. It may be mentioned here that according to a census report in 1997, the number of wild elephants was 109. This Correspondent recently visited the entire Numbor reserve forest and met Kanchan Baruah, vice-president of Numbor Surakhya Samittee, a NGO of Golaghat, who said that the forest ranger of Juria Dalang...

TEZPUR, March 27 ? Fear psychosis is prevailing among the villagers living near Chariduar, Naduar and Balipara reserve forest respectively in northern Assam following the apprehension that the menace by the wild tuskers this year would be on a larger scale. Alleging that the Sonitpur district administration so far has not taken any concrete steps to prohibit the entry of wild tuskers in human habitation leading NGO?s of the district fear that the man-animal conflict this year would prove disastrous in the district. The 50-km-long solar system barrier has been destroyed. This ambitious scheme...

GUWAHATI, March 25 ? Borsola Beel, a major water body of the city, which had all the potentials to make Guwahati an excellent modern city, has now been reduced to a sewage reservoir. It has now all the elements in it to turn it into a veritable portent for a vast area of the city. Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) sources here said that the beel water is now extremely contaminated with sewage. The beel is receiving pollutants through the municipal drains, municipal solid waste (MSW) from the wholesale fish market operating from inside the beel area and domestic wastes from the encroached...

GUWAHATI, March 24 ? The historic Dighalipukhuri, which added to the beauty of this picturesque city till the other day, is now stinking. Irrational behaviour of the people of this city, which is known since the days of the epics, is said to be the reason behind this degradation of the massive tank. Dighalipukhuri is connected with several myths. One such myth attributes its digging to the Mahabharata fame king Bhagadatta, the father-in-law of king Duryodhana. History of the State has its mention as a part of the city?s fortification in the pre-British period. The tank is one of the major...

GUWAHATI, March 22: A full-grown tiger was run over by a heavy vehicle on the National Highway 37 section passing through Kaziranga National Park (KNP) late last night. The carcass of the animal was recovered by Forest officials early this morning. The killed animal was measured seven feet and nine inches in length. Forest department sources in the KNP informed that it was for the first time a tiger was run over by vehicle in the national park. Last year another full grown tiger was killed following fierce fighting with another tiger inside the National Park.

GOLAGHAT, March 22 ? A stray herd of wild elephants numbering around 50,presumably migrated from the flood-affected Kaziranga National Park and Numbor Forest Reserve to the highlands of Karbi Anglong district in search of food and shelter, is reported to have caused depredation in places like Morongi, Doigurung, Deo-pahar, Numaligarh, Rongajan, Dheudasyan, Lokhawjan, Kuruwabahi, Rajabari, Khumtai etc of the Golaghat district. Destruction of properties including damaging of crops and dwelling houses by these elephants have been also reported. As per report, these elephants killed several...

GUWAHATI, March 21 ? Conservation of the Asian elephant in Assam has failed for all purpose and it is imperative that immediate short-term alongwith long-term measures are initiated to reduce man-elephant conflict, leading NGOs working in the environmental field claim. "As sub-optimal habitat is unable to meet the demands made on it by a herd of elephants who seek sustenance elsewhere and come into conflict with man. The degradation is largely man-made and the elephant has disappeared from areas where forests have been destroyed for human needs", the director of the organisation "Nature's...

DIBRUGARH, March 15 ? With the commissioning of the two village forest councils within the Joypur rainforests in the Dibrugarh district today, the region?s first two bio-diversity parks have seen the light of the day. Both are Centrally sponsored projects, with funds being streamed in through the North-Eastern Council. The two village forest councils, which will look after the bio-diversity are the Konwarbam and Abhoypur village councils. Each has a committee comprising the headman, environmentally inclined villagers and a forest department official as the member-in-chief. Today, the councils...

GUWAHATI, March 12 ? State Forest Minister GC Langthasa today informed the State Assembly that the Government has mooted a proposal to add 309135 hectares of additional land in the reserved forests. Replying to a question by Hitendra Nath Goswami (AGP), the Forest Minister said that at present 23.424 sq km area, that is 30.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the State, is under forest cover. He said that as per norms, the forest cover should be at least 33 per cent of the total geographical area. Langthasa revealed that the State has 20 national parks and sanctuaries for regular...

GUWAHATI, March 8 ? The visiting US Ambassador to India, Robert D Blackwill held a meeting with the wildlife experts of NE region. Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, secretary general of Aaranyak, Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury of Rhino Foundation, Dr Rathin Barman of Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation and Dr. Anil Goswami of WWF-North East India on Wednesday morning at Hotel Bellevue stated a release. The meeting was also attended by Hildebrand wife of the US Ambassador, US consulate General C J Sandrolini, D Myers Lanzer and Lt. Col. Tollie, which lasted for a hour. The discussion was...