Dehing Patkai, the home of many rare species is a rainforest, situated in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh district of Assam. Also known as the Amazon of the East, it is mainly famous for its elephant reserve. It is also known as Jeypore rainforest. The area of this sanctuary is 111.19 square km. The total area is actually 572 square km. It is divided into three parts - Jeypore, Upper Dehing River, and Dirok rainforest. The nearest airport is at Dibrugarh, 78 km from the forest. It's distance from Tinsukia is around 45 km. The nearest railway station is at Naharkatia, almost 8 km away from it.
A notice was released by NBWL( National Board For Wildlife) about their decision of starting coal mining in some parts of the elephant reserve of Dehing Patkai, on April 7,2020. The committee had proposed to use 98.59 hectares of Saleki for coal mining which is a threat to the wildlife of the elephant reserve, which is already been affected a lot by the industries like coal mine, refinery etc. The protests are going on against the decision amidst the corona virus pandemic.
TREASURES OF DEHING PATKAI
Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is the habitat of many birds, animals, reptiles, and also fishes. It was awarded as a sanctuary on 13 January, 2004. Actually, one part was declared as a sanctuary and the other one was reserved for elephants as Dibru Doimili Elephant Reserve. The average rainfall in this region is 4000 mm. It is also known as the Amazon of the East. The lush green forest is always an attraction for the tourists.
BIRDS: Dehing Patkai has a variety of birds chirruping all over the forest. It is the home of almost 263 species of birds in which some are endangered species. Some of the beautiful species are as follows- Grey Peacock, Yellow Vented Warbler, Slender-billed Vulture, White-winged Duck, Osprey, Hill Myna, Broad-billed Warbler, Spotted Eagle, Nuthatch, Tawny Breasted Wren Blabber, Black Baza, Oriented Darter, Besra, Marsh Blabber, Painted Stork, etc.
ANIMALS: The forest is full of reptiles, mammals, and butters. Some of the animals are as follows- Loris, Leopard Cat, Himalayan Black Bear, Capped Langur, Hollock Gibbon, Barking Deer, Stump tailed Macaque, Sun Bear, Porcupine, Himalayan Squirrel, etc.
FLORA- The forest is an evergreen forest full of different types of wild flowers, woods, wild bananas. Some of the species are- Hollock, Nahor, Hollang, Dhuna, Udiyam, Elephant Apple, Samkothal, Mekai, Bheer, Dimaru etc. All the species are the treasures of the forest. Some of the species of over wood are Amoorn Walichi, Hinectiferum, Vatica Lancearfolia, Disoxylum Hinectiferum, Shorea Assamica, Mesua Ferrea etc.
The forest has diverse species of Orchids too. As per record, there are 101 species of Orchids. Some of the species of Orchids are- Bulbophyllum protractum, Thrixspermum cuminatissium, Bulbophyllum ebulbum, E. pudica etc.
ETHNIC GROUPS: Dehing Patkai attracts tourists not only for its diverse biodiversity but also for the people living there. There are a number of ethnic groups living there whose hospitality and love will amaze you. Some of them are Khamti, Ahom, Singpho, Moran, Motok, Nepali, Tai Phake etc.
IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON WILDLIFE OF DEHING PATKAI
Dehing Patkai has a diverse species of flora fauna. So, coal mining will definitely have a major impact on it. The most affected part will be the reptiles and the small mammals of the forest. The wastes and chemicals will obviously pollute the rivers and the water bodies of the forest which are the lives of the wildlife and also for the ethnic groups living there. The main river Dehing flows through a number of parts of Assam, which will carry the dangerous wastes to a large area. Coal mining will destroy the home of many birds, bees, reptiles, and animals. Removal of a huge amount of soils from the underground will have a direct impact on the wildlife. The emission of Sulpher dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, arsenic leads to air pollution and acid rains. The coal dust created by the crushing and processing of coal will be a major problem for the animals. The mercury released will lead to mercury poisoning in the river bodies causing the death of many endangered species of fishes living there.
WHY IT SHOULD BE STOPPED?
As all of us are known that the world is not only for mankind, the animals and birds have equal rights in every part of it. If we grab their habitats for the benefit of mankind then there is no value of praying to God every day, making large temples. This is totally unfair for our own mother. Already, we people have done major damages to our co habitants, destroyed many species. The environment is changing rapidly creating natural disasters that are out of our control. Technology is growing faster and we are becoming dumber and dumber with time that we are ignoring the environmental change of the world occurring only because of us. We are the culprit, we should suffer. But why those innocent beautiful animals are suffering more than us. They are not creating pollution, dust, or destroying their own habitats.
The technology will make our life more luxurious but we will not get another world. It is for sure that we cannot discover another planet to live in now. We have to conserve our earth, balancing the environment by deceasing these illegal activities. Let's protect our mother. Let's stop coal mining, let's stop destroying forests, let's stop digging a hole in our mother earth. Technology can find an alternative of coal but it can't find an alternative of trees and the animals. You can't create a new home in space. Let's hold a second and think it deeply, "Will you do the same with your mother? Will you make holes in your mother's heart? Will you?"
Let's start it with Dehing Patkai and conserve every remaining forests from our dirty activities. Minimize the use of energy as much as possible so that the Government won't have to take such steps in the future. Let's take the first step to make a change. If it's not you, then nobody else.
Already the issue has been addressed among the youths and the well-wishers of the society. But it isn't going to have any impact if we do not take action rapidly. in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can't just go on roads to protest. The protest must go on digitally. We are very fortunate in this aspect that many well known digital influencers have already come in support with us with their tweets, Instagram, and Facebook posts as well (https://twitter.com/dhruv_rathee/status/1261985365688291330?s=20). now it's in our hands to raise the concern to the highest of the authorities and to make this a national issue in a limited time frame.
Let's sign the petition below to show our support towards THE DEHING-PATKAI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY. Please share among your friends and encourage them to sign it for the Amazon of East.
Sign the petition:
https://www.petitions.net/save_dehing-patkai_save_the_amazon_of_the_east
https://www.petitions.net/save_dehing-patkai_save_the_amazon_of_the_east
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