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Project to be taken up for biodiversity conservation

BERHAMPUR: A project is being taken up by the Forest Department to conserve biodiversity and for peaceful coexistence of humans and crocodiles in the Ghodahada reservoir of Ganjam district.

The project basically aims at providing alternative livelihood and basic amenities to the people who live near the reservoir. Since more than three decades, families living near the reservoir on the border of Ganjam and Gajapati districts have been peacefully coexisting with crocodiles.

According to the Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), A.K. Jena, several of these families are proposed to be shifted along with the formation of a medium irrigation project. But these families did not prefer to get shifted. They lived near the reservoir making fishing their source of livelihood. There is also a village Mahulapada near the reservoir, which is approachable only by boats.

Crocodiles increased their number in the reservoir. No crocodile has till date injured any human or domestic animal. The reptiles seem to be satisfied with the fish population in the reservoir. This reservoir is used for pisciculture by a cooperative of around 70 fishermen families of the area. The new project is being taken up with the help of UNDP to keep this relation between humans and animals intact. The population of humans as well as crocodiles is on the rise in the reservoir area. The first effort will be to increase productivity of pisciculture in the reservoir. Under it, the cooperative of fishermen will be provided better boats, nets and training for pisciculture. A rearing pond will be built up near the reservoir to grow the fish seed to slight bigger size before they are released in the reservoir as small fish seed are usually eaten up by the crocodiles.

“We are also planning to provide an irrigation channel near Balighai village to promote agriculture in the area so that people do not get over dependant on pisciculture,” says Mr. Jena. Poultry farms will be set up at Buruband and Siripur villages. There will be efforts to provide vocational training to the youth of the area. To provide better life toilet and drinking water facility will be provided to all the 380 households living on the banks of the reservoir. Traditionally these fishermen are also producers and sellers of puffed rice and other traditional snacks. “We are thinking of setting up a mechanized unit for producing puffed rice in the area,” says Mr. Jena.

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