'Forest dept takes measures to enhance water table'

Mangaluru Circle CCF Sanjay Bijoor said that the Forest Department has initiated measures to increase the ground water table to make the water bodies inside natural forest perennial, by constructing gully checks.

“About 30,000 cubic metre gully checks have been constructed in the Mangaluru Circle,” he added. He said gully checks, check the flow of water and therebyconserve soil from erosion. This will help maintain the moisture content in the soil,  which in turn  increasing the ground water-level over a period of time.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vinay Lutra  said that the Central government has promised to consider the objections submitted by the State government on Kasturirangan report on Conservation of the Western Ghats in the notification which will be issued shortly.

He said that the second set of objections to Kasturirangan panel recommendations were filed by the State government on October 26. The Secretary to the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of India had said that the objections filed by the State government on September 1 were not included in the draft notification, as the draft was already sent for printing by the time maps of the villages come under eco-sensitive areas in 40 taluks sought by the Centre.

“The objections have  sought to exclude sand mining/quarrying areas from the purview of eco-sensitive areas (ESAs). While the Kasturirangan committee has recommended that sand mining and quarrying be banned in ESAs in the Western Ghats, the State has sought that the recommendation should be reconsidered in view of local area development,” he added.