Conflict betwen man and elephants on the rise in Odisha

The conflict between elephants and man is a matter of concern for Odisha because the population of elephants has gone up in the past two years as has the conflict between the two. According to statistics, 393 elephants have died in the state in the past five years and most of them have been victims of either poaching or electrocution by high-tension wires.
Hunters and wildlife smugglers were responsible for death of 28 elephants during this period, nine died of poisoning and 60 were killed in road and train accidents while electrocution claimed the lives of more than 50 elephants in the past five years.
This has been reported in telegraphidia.com dated 8 July 2017.

On the other hand, 300 people have been killed by the elephants in the same period and the animals have damaged more than 4000 houses and crops over nearly 70,000 acres. In the opinion of an environmentalist, the loss of natural habitat was the major factors responsible for the human-elephant conflict in the state. Disappearance and degradation of forest cover compels them to venture into the territory of humans in search of food and water.


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Odisha to develop water sports for attracting tourists

Odisha is drawing up plans to promote water sports activities in the state to attract tourists. The activities will motorised ones like jet ski, speedboat and powerboat. Then there would be towed activities like parasailing, banana rides and water skiing and also non-motorised activities like snorkelling, canoeing and kayaking.
In addition, there would be individual activities like sunbathing, bathing in seawaters and sand art.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 1 July 2017.

Those who will operate the facilities will have to make available all life saving equipment, fire-fighting appliances, rescue tubes and other equipment on the vessels and these must be duly certified by competent authorities. Tour operators in the state have welcomed the decision.


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Odisha eyeing a large chunk of the religious tourism pie

Odisha has set its eyes on a large chunk of the religious tourism pie because of the direct international flights that are set to commence between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur next month. Odisha wants to focus on promoting Buddhist tourism.
With the air connection to Kuala Lumpur will bring Odisha on the of Buddhist tourism map and efforts would be made to woo Buddhist tourists from South Asian and South East Asian countries.
This is reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 March 2017.

Odisha tourism is pursuing a Rs 100 crore project for developing the Buddhist Circuit of Odisha under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of Central Government. The concept of religious tourism has changed over the years and it is now much mire than visiting temples, monuments or archaeological sites. Religious tourism today embraces yoga, performing arts, temple food and cuisine, and festivals.
The Govardhan Eco-village has been awarded for being a sustainable tourism model, by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.


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Odisha facing man-animal conflicts with elephants

Odisha has taken a number of actions to prevent man-animal conflict with elephants. They have dug elephant trenches and installed solar fencing to prevent elephants from coming into human habitation and elephant trackers are also working regularly to drive the elephants away. But there is little improvement.
In the latest incident, over the past two days a herd of elephants have kept the National Highway near Khuntuni blocked for over two hours and, as a result, hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road. The forest department's elephant tracking squad could do very little to drive the herd away.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 March 2017.

The location is the Athgarh division and it has been witnessing these problems over the past few years because the elephants of Chandaka wildlife sanctuary keep straying into the region for food. AT present there is a herd of around 22 elephants in the locality.
Over the past one year the area has witnessed several cases of man-animal conflicts in which two elephants got electrocuted and four persons were killed. As per government data, Athgarh forest division itself has 114 resident elephants.


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Unchecked prawn farming a threat to the Chilika lagoon in Odisha

Chilika lagoon in Odisha is the largest brackish water lake of Asia and it is faced with heavy silting and unchecked prawn farming which are posing a serious threat to this lagoon. It is believed that the prawn culture is a major factor that has given rise to the silt load of the lake and is, in turn, adversely impacting its bio-diversity.
There are fears that the silting could lead to the shrinkage of the lake area - this fluctuates between 1,165sqkm and 906sqkm. The net result could be that the lake would become shallow.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 February 2017.

In the opinion of environmentalists the combined effect of prawn culture and the growing silt load would have an adverse impact on the salinity level and affect its flora and fauna - part of this is food for local and migratory birds. The catchment area of Chilika covers parts of Khurda, Puri and Ganjam districts and has a rock, sand and mud substratum. It also has a wide range of sedimentary particles like clay, silt, sand and gravel and silt is more.
Prawn farming in Chilika is illegal but it continues with the support of powerful businessmen, bureaucrats and even politicians have stakes in it.


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Increase in the population of blackbucks in Odisha is a major problem

The increase in the population of blackbucks in Odisha from 1,625 in the 2011 to 3806 in March 2015 is a major problem for the forest department officials of Odisha. They are known as the krushna saar mruga, these blackbucks are found in Ganjam district and its adjoining areas and the villagers treat them reverentially since they are believed to be harbinger of good times.
Due to the increase in their population they are devouring the standing crops and are moving to newer areas in search of food which has forced many villagers to give up agricultural practices.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 23 February 2017.

Since the animals are not harmed and with their growth rate at around 15 percent annually, the situation is becoming critical. Due to their appetite, vast tracts of land are lying fallow and villagers hope that the government would compensate them for their losses.
The fact is that a sustainable model has to be evolved for conservation of the blackbucks and that is the need of the hour.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Coast Guard arrests fishermen for illegal fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary

Coast Guard personnel have arrested 139 fishermen and have seized 14 seagoing vessels which were engaged in for illegal fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. Sea fishing is prohibited within the marine sanctuary limits throughout the year.
However, patrolling is increased between November and May because of the mass nesting season of the endangered olive ridley turtles. These turtles enjoy Schedule-1 status under the Wildlife Protection Act. They get entangled in the nets of trawls and vessels for prolonged periods and die of asphyxiation. Moreover, the fast-moving propellers of fishing trawlers strike the turtles and kill them in large numbers.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 30 January 2017.

The arrested fishermen belong to Balaramgadi, Dhamara (in Balasore) and Talchua (in Kendrapara). The Coast Guard also recovered many items of fishing like mono-filament fishing nets, GPS systems, disaster alert transmitters, walkie-talkie communication systems, fish finding gadgets, registration documents of the vessels, identity proof documents of the crews and a haul of three tons of sea fish.
However, none of the vessels had turtle excluder devices installed. These are specialized device through which the trapped sea turtles can escape when caught in fishing nets.


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Elephants destroy more than 12 acres of banana plantation in Odisha

A herd of about 25 elephants, led by four tuskers, including five calves, went on a rampage in Khamnipada and five adjoining villages and damaged banana plants, high yield mango seedlings, vegetables and rabi crops.
More than 12 acres of banana plantation grown by tribal farmers on the embankment of Rahul river in Balliguda Forest Division in Odisha's Kandhamal district has been damaged by the marauding elephants.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 12 January 2017.

A total of 24 tribal farmers of Khamnipada village had been given financial assistance to raise banana plants in 32 acres of land. They had planted 32,000 plants in 32 acres on the embankment of Rahul river of which about 12,000 plants and 2000 high yield mango seedlings worth over Rs 5 lakh were destroyed by the jumbos.
The jumbo herd is still on the rampage at Majordhapa reserve forest. The DFO has assured that the extent of loss due to the jumbo menace is being calculated by forest officials and, because the affected villages fall under the natural habitat of elephants, all the affected farmers will be compensated.


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300-year old Biranchiarayan temple in Odisha is famous for its wood carvings

Biranchiarayan temple in Ganjam district of Odisha is famous for its wood carvings - it is known as wooden Konark. Right now, hundreds of people, mostly women, are arriving there on the occasion of the Samba Dashami to worship the Sun God. There would be daylong rituals to mark Samba Dashami but, the main festival will be held on Magha Saptami on February 3.
The temple is located at Buguda, 70-Km from Berhampur in Ganjam district. Surya Narayan is the main deity of the temple.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 9 January 2017.

The temple is 300-year old and was built by Srikar Bhanja, one of the kings of Bhanja dynasty, in 1790 AD. It is also known as wooden Konark because of its exquisite art work in wood. The construction is in the shape of a chariot of the sun drawn by seven horses and the roof is covered with copper plates on which tiles are fixed at present.
The temple is well known for its murals. The wall paintings show Ram and Laxman receiving visitors and warriors on a hill in a rocky land. And, the stories of Krishna leela and the car festival of Lord Jagannath are painted on western and the northern walls of the temple respectively.


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Jharsuguda in Odisha bans use of polythene carry bags from January 1

In order to clean up the environment and go green, Jharsuguda has imposed a ban on the use of polythene carry bags and other polythene products below 50 micron with effect from January 1 in an effort to reduce pollution.
The administration has done adequate publicity to create awareness among people about the adverse effects of the use of polythene and the ban has been imposed in the entire district. A squad would be formed to enforce the ban.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 2 January 2017.

The matter has been discussed with the merchants' association who have been told to stop using polythene carry bags that are less than 50 micron thick. The source from where the polythene carry bags are being procured would be identified and supplies stopped.
A rally had been organised on December 24 to create awareness among people and appeal them to stop using polythene carry bags. The ban will cover polythene carry bags, plastic glasses, cups and other polythene products. Fines would be slapped on those shops and business establishments who violate the ban.


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Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

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Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

The Bhitarkanika National Park had received global exposure in the wake of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources team that had recently visited the park for lijely conferment of world heritage tag on the wetland site.
But, it has failed to pay dividends in terms of translating into more foreign tourist inflow. Out of a total of 66,971 international tourists who visited Odisha last year, only 211 visited the park. In 2014, 207 foreigners had visited Bhitarkanika and the figure was 211 next year. This year, it is 150 foreigners till November end.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 28 December 2016.

Those involved in tourism sectors feel this situation can be attributed to the hassles in mandatory registration of overseas visitors. Foreigners who arrive here are victims of official apathy. At times, the foreign visitors are stranded at least an hour at the divisional forest office during verification.
An international tourist has to furnish photocopy of passport, visa and three recent passport size photos during the registration process. No fee is charged for registration. This registration is mandatory as per direction received from the bureau of immigration, ministry of home affairs.


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Odisha to boost tourism through 30 nature tourism spots

The Odisha government has taken a decision to develop 30 nature tourism spots across the state. The spots tentatively identified are on the banks of the Chilika lake and Mahanadi river apart from the Similipal and Bhitarkanika national parks.
Some of the spots will come up close to wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 21 December 2016.

The state government has come up with a revised tourism policy to woo investors for tourism projects. The decision was taken at the meeting of Eco-Tourism Board and an action plan has been chalked out with an estimated cost of Rs 21 crore for 2016-17 to develop the nature tourism spots as approved by the board. A master plan was also made for comprehensive development of these spots.
Odisha has 31 per cent forest cover, is rich in flora and fauna and is home to 86 species of mammals, 473 bird species and 110 reptile species. Obviously, it has immense nature tourism potential. The state government was keen to promote tourism since it is employment intensive and environment friendly.


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Fish like Hilsa, Bombay Duck, Tuna, Pomfret vulnerable to climate change

Climate change is playing havoc with fish species in India - a study has shown that 47 out of 68 species are vulnerable to this global effect. It is taking its toll on Hilsa in the east coast (especially in the waters off Odisha and West Bengal), Bombay duck on the western coast, and the oil sardines found off Tamil Nadu.
That vulnerability stems from changes in climate apart from over-fishing coupled with lower productivity. The study has been carried out by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 19 December 2016.

The study has found that 69% of the 68 fish species were vulnerable to climatic changes. These include species like the Bombay duck, tuna, sharks, various shrimp, pomfret, and catfish. The west coast has high fishing pressure but is richer in fish so its vulnerability is comparatively less.
It has been observed that fish that inhabit the surface or near surface waters like tuna, mackerel and sardine are most affected by temperature change and they also account for a sizeable chunk of the catch. Hence, overfishing is another factor for vulnerability of 16 species.
Fish like Bombay duck, golden anchovy and hilsa are more vulnerable since they inhabit a limited geographic range. Against this, the chance of survival of fish with a wide geographical distribution like seerfishes (surmai), sardines and lizardfishes is high.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Sambalpur in Odisha sees decline in foreign tourists and loss of revenue

Sambalpur in Odisha is worried about the drastic fall in the number of foreign tourists at the district's travel destinations and it has raised question marks over its consequent impact on the economy. The number of tourists to the district's seven tourist destinations has increased, no doubt, with each passing year but, there has been a sharp decline in the footfall of foreign tourists in that same period.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 November 2016.

There are seven identified tourist destinations namely, Sambalpur, Hirakud, Ushakothi, Huma, Chiplima, Gudguda and Kandhara. As per data compiled by the tourism department there has been a constant fall in the number of foreign visitors to these places during the past three years.
In Sambalpur, 374 foreign tourists visited in 2013. The next year, the number fell to 316 and in 2015, it was only 213.
In Hirakud - the figure was 130 foreign tourists in 2013. It fell to 93 in 2014 and 76 in 2015.
Similarly for the leaning temple of Huma - it attracted 68 foreign tourists in 2013, 67 in 2014 and 56 in 2015.
And in Chiplima - there were 86 foreign tourists in 2013, and it went down to 44 in 2014 and 32 in 2015.
The other two tourist destinations - Gudguda and Kandhara - did not attract any foreign tourist during the past three years.
Of course, all these have seen constant increase in the domestic tourist footfall in the past three years.
Various reasons have been put forth on this aspect. One is these is the lack of publicity. Then there are lack of adequate amenities at the tourist destinations and, added to these is the fact that some of the destinations lack good connectivity.


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The suspense over the annual historic Baliyatra festival has been cleared because the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has finally allowed the Cuttack district authorities to go ahead with necessary arrangements on the banks of Mahanadi.
Of course, the NGT has issued a clause directing the administration to maintain cleanliness and ensure that garbage is not dumped nor permanent structures erected on the river bed.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 5 November 2016.

The area were the festival is held is not a river bed and it is alluvial area or, rather, an old land mass. Allotment of sites to vendors for stalls will begin immediately.
The NGT had on 2 November issued directions and restrictions of erection of stalls on a petition filed by an environmental activist. The festival marks the ancient maritime history of Odisha and is a yearly event that happens at around this time of the year - it starts on 14 November.


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Odisha registers highest growth rate in fish production during the year 2015-16

Odisha has registered the highest growth rate in fish production during the year 2015-16. The state has doubled the income of fish farmers and sea food exporters’ real income during the last decade by means of high value commercial activities in fishery and animal resource development sectors.
Odisha has set out an ambitious plan to achieve sea food export worth Rs.20, 000 crore in the next five years for which construction and improvement of fishery infrastructure is also on the anvil.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 24 October 2016.

The plan envisages developing of necessary infrastructure in 19 priority aquaculture clusters and this work is expected to be completed by March, 2017. The state government has claimed to have registered the highest growth rate in the country in fish production during the year 2015-16. It was 11.10 per cent.
The total fish production during the year was 521278 MT against 469548 MT during 2014-15.
Export of fish and fishery products also saw an increase - it went up to 35,630 MT with a total value of around Rs.1788 crore. Moreover, fish production has grown regularly over the last 4 years. For comparison, in 2012-13, the total fish production was 410144 MT which has steadily grown to 413889 in the year 2013-14.
At present 34 sea food exporters are operating in Odisha and they have markets in Eastern Europe, Japan, China, Middle East and south eastern Asian countries.


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Human-animal conflict leaves 454 people and 2,261 animals (388 elephants) dead in Odisha

The human-animal conflict in Odisha over the last six years has led to death of 454 people and 2,261 animals - 388 of these were elephants, as revealed by the Forest Department. The major reason for high number of death of elephants are poaching, poisoning, accidents and deliberate electrocution.
As many as 362 persons were killed by elephants in the past six years while 92 were killed by other animals. As to injuries - a total of 157 persons were injured by elephants and 736 by other animals.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 21 October 2016.

Apart from elephants, the human-animal conflict also involved other animals like saltwater crocodiles, sloth bears, wild boars and leopards. In addition, 164 cattle have been killed by elephants, which also damaged 4,405 houses and crops over 69,071 acres.
It seems 28 jumbos were poached by hunters and wildlife smugglers, nine died due to poisoning and 60 in road and train accidents. In addition, electrocution claimed 50 lives during the period.
In order to minimize the human-animal conflict, new forests with plant species that elephants relish are being created and fresh water bodies are also being created while the existing ones are being renovated. On addition, stone walls, trenches and solar-powered wire fencing have been put up in sensitive areas to check the entry of elephants into human habitats.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Nearly 15000 animals sacrificed in Odisha this year to appease the Gods

The Odisha government has claimed that it has created a sustained campaign against animal sacrifice. However, facts speak otherwise. More than 4,000 goats and hens and two buffaloes were sacrificed at Manikeswari's shrine in Bhawanipatna as part of Chhatar Yatra to appease the goddess.
In addition, more than 50 animals, including a male buffalo, were sacrificed to pacify the goddess Panchbarahi in the 500-year-old Panchubarahi temple at the seaside village of Satabhaya in Kendrapada district.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 October 2016.

The district administration of Kalahandi had made an appeal to people not to sacrifice animals during the celebration of Chhatar Yatra. However, figures from various locations of Kalahandi district reveal that more than 15,000 animals were killed on Sunday.
Many devotees who are unable to reach the venue from far-flung areas carry out the ritual of sacrifice of animals at their home in the hope of getting their wishes fulfilled.
At around 3 am on Sunday, the priest took the deity to Jenakhal, 3 km from Bhawanipatna, as part of the age-old ritual. It was an 8-hour long journey and the procession began with sacrificing a buffalo and concluded with the sacrifice of another one at the temple itself.


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Tourism in the coastal circuit of Odisha to get a boost since the state is all set to get Rs 76.5 crore under Centre's Swadesh Darshan scheme. Out of this amount, about Rs 15.3 crore has already been released in the first installment.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 8 October 2016.

These funds have been sanctioned for infrastructure growth and development of beaches in Gopalpur, Tampara, Barakul and Satapada. The objective is to develop coastal sites so that they can attract more tourists to the state. Once amenities are improved at various tourist spots on the coastline, the benefit will go to other nearby areas as well.
The improvements will cover roads and, water sports, jetty, water park, solar street lighting, floating restaurants will be developed in these area apart from tourist reception centers. In addition, a sand art and maritime museum will come up at Gopalpur as also a solid waste management and sewerage treatment plant. Gopalpur is one of the favorite spots for tourists.


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Arrival of migrant birds increases in Bhitarkanika National Park to over one lakh

Arrival of migrant birds has shown an upward trend in Bhitarkanika National Park. It has increased to to over one lakh against around 97,000 last year. Therefore, this national park has yet again reinstated its place in the state of Odisha as one of the congenial heronries for the migrant water birds.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 September 2016.

Prominent among the species that arrived for nesting were grey heron, purple heron, darter, cormorant, large egret, intermediary egret and little egret.
The counting began on August 22. It was a week-long drive for the head count of seasonal monsoon birds. There were two teams comprising 10 ornithologists besides wildlife personnel of the national park. Since the rainfall was not uniform, arrival of the birds was delayed.
Still, as many as 21,204 nests were spotted on 2,098 treetops. Out of the counted birds, 42,408 adults were enumerated arriving here for monsoon sojourn. The heronry at Bagagahana attracted the highest number (46,322) of birds. The teams took into account all major congregation zones both in and out of the park. Apart from the core area of the national park, peripheral wetland sites like Satabhaya and Barunei were also included in the census.
It may be recalled that noted ornithologist Salim Ali had made a chance discovery of this habitat of the birds while he was a visit to Bhitarkanika in 1981.


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