Watershed Management ad Deforestation Problem in Assam

What is Watershed?

Watershed is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place.

What is Watershed Management?

According to Wikipedia, Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within a watershed boundary.

Problems faced by Watershed in Assam

Due to the human activities such as deforestation, too much grazing, too much fishing, mining etc. the watersheds in Assam have been facing serious problem.  Since these watersheds function as the container of a good ecosystem and an organized biodiversity, the problem of the watershed implies a tremendous degradation of nature of Assam

Watershed management in Assam

The integrated watershed management programme launched by Department of Land Resources (DoLR) Government of India, has sanctioned nine integrated watershed management projects under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas comprising the districts of Baska, Udalguri, Chirang and Kokrajhar on the basis of preliminary project report submitted under the guidance of executive member, BTC, Soil Conservation Department, to State level nodal agency, i.e. Department of Soil Conservation, Government of Assam.

HOWEVER, we have not noticed any effective work done by the authority in order to conserve the watershed in Assam yet.

Deforestation in Assam.

Deforestation has become one of the most serious environmental problems of Assam. Assam is situated in one of the two mega biodiversity hot spots in India. Therefore, the deforestation in this area implies a serious threat to the environment.

Causes of Deforestation

1.       Like all other states, the population of Assam is growing at a very higher rate. Therefore many people are attempting to cut woods in order to avail place for their habitat.

2.       Most of the people use the trees as a source of firewood.

3.       The development project such as mining, setting up an industry, constructing roads etc. are rising in the state. These activities are responsible for deforestation.

4.       Illegal immigrants are occupying the forest area of the state. They are cutting wood for cultivation and other necessity.

Problems caused by Deforestation

Deforestation is causing serious problems like these

1.       The climate in the state is changing rapidly. The cultivators of Assam are in great inconvenience due to the lack of sufficient rainfall.

2.       The biodiversity of Assam is declining day by day.

3.       Land slide and flood are two major results of deforestations in the state.

Measures to control

There are many rules and regulations enacted against deforestation but their implementation is very much insignificant in Assam. The govt. has announced many forests in the state as National Parks and reserved forests but the security of wildlife in these areas too is not of satisfaction. Illegal woodcutters are cutting several hundreds of trees in these so called reserved forests. Therefore the govt. must be very strict in this aspect in order to tackle the problem of deforestation in the state. Unless the public awareness, the govt. too cannot control deforestation. The public should be conscious against deforestation. In school syllabus, the importance of wood and the evil effects of deforestation should be included.

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