Bhojpur, July 15: In view of growing shortage of water and increasing temperature, the Division Forest Office and the forest users’ group here have constructed a pond in the Bhulke Chhokla Community Forest.
The pond would provide relief to the wildlife, especially during the dry season. The community forest users’ group built the facility with the coordination and technical support of the Division Forest Office, Bhojpur.
The availability of water in the forest would help reduce human-wildlife conflict because the wild animals are less likely to leave forest for searching water near human settlement in the wake of drying water sources.
Chief of the Division Forest Office, Khudrus Miya, informed that the pool will ultimately help in wildlife conservation.
Forest officer at the Division Forest Office, Nur Mohamad Miya, informed that the pond was built under the Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Programme. It cost total Rs 553,000, for which, the Office provided Rs 500,000 and the forest users’ group contributed voluntary labour worth Rs 53,000.
“With the availability of water in the forest, wild animals are less likely to enter settlements. It ultimately helps curb human-wildlife conflict,” he said.
Similarly, chairman of the Community Forest Users’ Committee, Harka Bahadur Bhattarai, observed the construction of ponds would help conserve biodiversity. Such structures are helpful in protecting the habitat of wildlife and maintaining environmental balance, according to him.
The wildlife conservation is facing difficulty in recent times as the impact of climate change has caused drying up of water sources. Though a small endeavour, the pond construction is expected to contribute to wildlife conservation, the locals believed.
