India Environment Portal Knowledge for change

About us Contact us
downtoearth-subscribe

Browse by subjects

Is it a forest?

  • 14/07/2007

How different agencies see it



Niyamgiri hills comprise a 250-sq km massif of hill forests spread across Kalahandi, Rayagada and Koraput districts. A proposal is pending with the Kalahandi forest division's working plan (approved by moef in 1998) to notify the area as a wildlife sanctuary. The area was also listed as a proposed elephant reserve by the state in August 2004.

val's proposed mining area is situated within the Niyamgiri Reserve Forest of Kalahandi and Khambesi and Niyamgiri proposed reserve forest and jungle block (protected forest) of Rayagada forest division.

According to cec and wii, the hills are the source of the Vamsadhara river and a major tributary of the Nagvalli river. Both rivers supply water to several districts of southern Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.Thirty-six perennial streams originating around the mining lease site provide drinking water and water to irrigate fields in the adjoining villages.

What wildlife?
The Environmental Protection Group, Orissa, says, the dense forests on the hills shelter elephants, sambars, leopards, tigers, barking deers, giant squirrels, various birds species and have more than 300 varieties of plants and trees, including about 50 kinds of medicinal plants. Many of these animals and at least four of the plants found here are listed in iucn's Red Data Book of endangered species, it says.

The project's eia report by Tata aig consultants agrees in part. It says, "The area exhibits a well-balanced ecosystem with a poised prey-predator relationship.' But it goes on to add that though "the secondary data identifies a variety of faunal species under categories like endangered and vulnerable as per the Zoological Survey of India's Red Data

Related Content