DHANGADI – In recent times, hundreds of acres of forest are being destroyed in Kailali district in the name of development.
Growing deforestation has added to the challenges for Kailali’s forest areas that are already facing the problem of encroachment. Kailali had 205,939 hectares of forested land, according to a survey conducted six years ago, but the area has shrunk to 194,000 hectares now.
According to the statistics of the forest area of all 753 local units across the country unveiled recently by the Department of Forest Research and Survey, Kailali district which has 13 local units has 194,000 hectares of forest.
Forest areas are being cleared in Kailali district in the name of development including the Ranijamara Kulariya Irrigation Project, and Seti Lokmarga. The East-West railway project is gaining momentum and is likely to affect forest.
Around 13,048 trees have been felled for the construction of Ranijamara Kulariya irrigation project. According to Forest Sub-division Office Balchaur, the trees were cut down from nine forest plots—one national forest and eight community forests.
Ranijamara Irrigation Project begins at Karnali River. The project is expected to irrigate the fields of Tikapur area. There is also a plan to connect the Ranijamara Project with Kandra River, project engineer Krishna Bahadur Bista said.
An irrigation canal has to be built while taking the water to Ghodaghodi Municipality-10 from the project connected with the East-West highway. The irrigation canal should pass through forest. Thus, it has been speculated that a huge number of trees will be cut down for the project.
Similarly, an expressway is also being constructed to connect Province 7 capital Dhangadi with then Far-West Regional Development headquarters, Dipayal. Many trees should be cut down while widening the East-West Highway at Khutiya stretch, and for the construction of Seti Lokmarga.
The under-construction Hulaki Road covers 48.81 hectares of land in Kailali district, so around 1040 trees would have to be cut down, said Bhim Dhakal, assistant forest officer at Division Forest Office Kailali.
According to him, 9686 trees should be cut down for the construction of Seti Lokmarga and 779 trees of 35.73 hectares of forest area should be cleared for Khutiya-Dipayal fast-track road.
According to development action plan, 25 plants should be planted for one tree. However, the forest security personnel say, the action plan has not been complied with.
An estimated 25,000 hectares of land has been encroached by various people including freed bonded laborers, landless squatters, and flood survivors.
Dhakal says such encroachment has put Basanta Biological corridor at threat. Kailali and Kanchanpur cover the biggest swath of forested land in Province 7 but the encroachment of the land is growing. Scientific forest management is being carried out in Kailali.
