“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
Should coal mining or extraction of any other natural resource be done at the cost of wildlife? If such excavation dismantles the habitation of the wild fauna and flora then we should stop and think. In this era of pandemic, where nature is already showering its rage on the world, humans are still exhibiting greed to fulfil their unending needs. This is happening at the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve forest (Saleki).
Saleki is a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve that is a part of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary covering 111.19 sq. km of rainforest and several reserve forests in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar districts. Forming the largest stretch of tropical lowland rainforest in India, the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as the “Amazon of the East” — home to many animals, birds, reptiles and butterflies. It’s a treasure.
Coal India Limited (CIL) was granted a 30-year mining lease in 1973, and since then CIL subsidiary North Eastern Coalfields has been mining in the area. The lease expired back in 2003, but CIL applied to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change (MoEFCC) for a lease renewal in 2012. It is shocking to note that all the while, coal mining continued illegally in the area. No mining should have been allowed to carry out until the lease was granted, yet it continued.
No action was taken, until recently as of May 20, 2020, when the Assam Forest Department levied a fine of ₹43.25 crores on CIL for illegal mining in the reserve forest. But the story doesn’t end here. Recently, the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) gave clearance to CIL for mining on nearly 98.59 hectares of the Dehing Patkai Animal Reserve.
Why did the NBWL approve the forest clearance knowing that the organisation was conducting illegitimate mining procedures with an expired license? Does it intend to legalise illegal industrial activities?
Dehing Patkai is inhabited by a sizeable population of elephants and is under threat from the mining project. Moreover, the innocent and voiceless animals are already suffering due to pollution caused by nearby industries and refineries. Disturbing the habitat and the forest will lead to animals infiltrating human settlements, resulting in various other problems in upper Assam.
Leading environmentalists, activists, teachers and students are protesting on social media with the hashtag “Save Amazon of the East from Coal Mafias” and “I am Dehing Patkai”. This is against the decision of the NBWL to recommend CIL’s proposal for approval.
Right now in Assam, students from universities and schools are protesting by creating art. The lockdown may have sealed the streets but hundreds of pieces of artwork have poured in, depicting what might happen if mining is allowed. However, not much awareness is seen in other parts of India, nor has the issue hit the national headlines in the way it should have been.
When the Amazon in Brazil was burning in 2019, the collective efforts of people around the world imposed pressure on Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro to take effective steps to stop the forest fire. And now, when the Northeast is combating to preserve its natural resources, let’s drive our intellect in a desirable direction and stand together for Dehing Patkai.
Let’s raise our voices against such heinous activities before it’s too late. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
The balance between development and conservation needs to be sustained. Destruction and exploitation of nature in the name of development will lead to an unprecedented environmental crisis. It will result in the loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, climate change, ecological imbalance, global warming, resource depletion, extinction of wildlife, and many more issues.
Humans are safe because nature is an abode of wildlife. It’s time we learn our lesson before nature strikes us with the worst.