Change in people’s belief system and encroachment have degraded the rich bio-diversity of Kolli Hills
View of Pongalayi Amman sami sholai in Kolli Hills in Namakkal district. (Photo: DC)
Kolli Hills: The sacred groves in Kolli Hills are facing desecration of a different kind. Dilution of the belief system, encroachment by commercial agricultural crops and invasion of alien weeds have degraded, over the past 15 years, these mini-biospheres that are rich in biodiversity. A study by an expert revealed that the number of ecologically-sensitive sacred groves have come down to 35 from 236 in the Kolli Hills on the eastern ghats in Namakkal district.
The sacred groves, locally known as Sami Sholai, are patches of ancient vegetation, protected by the local people who dedicate the patch to a deity or a forest spirit. These groves are protected through customary taboos and sanctions, with significant cultural and ecological implications.
“In our field survey, we noticed that only 35 out of the 236 groves have lush forest cover and others have lost their quality to become merely sacred places,” phytologist E.D. Israel Oliver King, who has a doctorate on sacred groves in Kolli Hills, said. He said the sacred forests in Kolli Hills have been facing threat of degradation in terms of quality and diversity in the last few decades due to various factors including dilution of the traditional value and belief systems supporting sustainable management of natural resources.
Mr King said once in three or five years, local people used to clear the sacred space for worship or other purposes. “This creates openness within the growth and does not allow the native species to grow,” he said, adding that a change in the belief system is one of the important reasons for the groves facing a threat. Earlier, they would not allow even a thatched roof for deities in the groves, “Now there is a compromise. They are allowing construction of stupas,” he pointed out.
When asked why plantation of native species was not taken up in the sacred groves, Dr King said lack of community participation in such activities hampers such initiatives. “Local people do not give importance to species of conservation value unlike species with economy value,” he said.
Underscoring that sacred spaces must be protected, he said it could be done only through community participation and with government support and through better implementation of heritage site provisions found in the National Biodiversity Act.
C. Chandrasekaran, chairman, Kolli Hills panchayat union, blamed the invasion of foreign species like silver oak in the Kolli Hills for the degradation of groves. “There is a need for planting native trees in the Kolli Hills to improve forest cover,” he said.
Dumping of abattoir waste can be hazardous:
Environmentalists and animal activists warned that the Chennai corporation’s plan to dump animal carcass from the Pulianthope slaughterhouse in a dumpyard at Kodungiyur — after insufficient treatment — will eventually lead to serious environmental and health hazards.
They feel that the animal treatment plant in Kodungaiyur is not sufficient to treat 20 kld (kilolitres per day) of animal waste, and a scientific approach is needed for the treatment of animal effluents, rather than disposing these by lorries on a daily basis. If it was done so, it will directly affect the health of people residing in and around the Kodangiyur area, who are already hit by the disposal of industry waste on a daily basis.
Arun Krishnamurthy, secretary of the Environmental Foundation of India (EFI), feels that the move to send such high quantity of slaughterhouse waste materials will affect the water table and create serious environmental hazards. The corporation that requested Chennai metro water supply and sewerage board to dispose of leftover materials was granted permission to dump slaughterhouse effluents from May 1.
Arun Prasanna, founder of People for Cattle in India (PFCI), an NGO that works for the welfare of animals, the primary complainant in a case filed before the national green tribunal (NGT), challenged the authenticity of the three licensed slaughterhouses operating under the corporation in December 2013. He feels that the corporation’s temporary move will lead to an environmental and health disaster for the hundreds of people residing in the area. “If the corporation will not find an alternative immediately, it will not only affect the underground water resources but also lead to cross-contamination of tap water,” he added.
“Most of these animal wastes, if buried or burnt, can produce energy directly or indirectly; moreover, dumping it in a place like Kodungiyur will lead to health problems as there is a high content of moisture present in it,” said Nithyanand Jayaraman, environmental activist.
An official from the solid waste management section of the corporation, when contacted, said until now, they have not received any complaints and are looking into scientific remedies.
At the same time, the corporation has directed the slaughterhouses at Saidapet and Villivakkam to treat animal waste in their backyard using the effluent treatment plant (ETP) and not dispose of them in the city canals.
( Source : dc )
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