Deep percolation pits in Odisha forests harmful for local flora, fauna, say experts

The water percolation pits dug in forest areas by Odisha’s forest department in summer, may be harmful for the local flora and fauna, environmental conservationists have said. 

The forestry practice, ostensibly necessary for moisture augmentation, needs to be reviewed, the experts feel. 

The practice has been around for just about three years but forests have thrived without such man-made interventions for thousands of years, they argued. “It is unnecessary, is injurious and harmful to local flora and fauna and should be stopped immediately, said Biswajit Mohanty, an environmentalist and secretary of the Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO). 

Pits dug at the base of large trees cut off the roots of the trees, said Suzanne Simard from the University of British Columbia. The researcher has studied networks linking tree roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which form a web of underground relations or the  “wood wide web.” 

New research has been done globally on the ways trees communicate with each other above and below ground, Mohanty said, adding: 

Subterranean communication is not possible without roots. We need to view trees not as isolated individuals, but as communities bound up in a complex set of ecological relationships, with organisms of the same species, with organisms of different species, and especially, with the soil fungi that help to transmit nutrients to plant roots.

In natural forests that have been left undisturbed, there is high diversity of species, the environment is relatively stable, and the forest can persist for very long periods of time, the environmentalist added.

Trees register “pain” when creatures nibble them, giving off chemical “alarm calls”, he added. They can also warn each other through chemical signals sent via fungal networks around their root tips, Simard found. 

The fungi act as ‘intermediaries to guarantee quick dissemination of news’, operating like ‘fiber-optic internet cables’ to transmit information and helping the trees exchange news about insects, drought and other dangers. 

WSO wrote to the forest department: 

We wonder how such information will be transmitted if the roots are cut off by pit-digging. We urge you to appreciate the extremely injurious effects of this current forestry practice on our local forests.

The organisation found pits in Kerjodi forest April 8, 2022 in Kamakhyanagar East Range that were nearly 2 feet deep and pose a great danger to wildlife, Mohanty said. 

“We also observed that roots of the existing large Sal Trees of more than 6-7 feet girth have been cut, which would definitely affect tree growth and survival,” he added.

There would be an enormous impact on the existing forest in that area as disturbing the root system affects trees and deprives them of nutrients, apart from affecting their disease-fighting capabilities, the expert noted.

Forest floor plays an important role towards conservation of fauna, provided the natural geography and ecology (bushes, small growing trees, creepers) remain intact without artificial interference, he added. There is a composite and symbiotic relationship between fauna (both micro and macro) and flora of the forest floor, Mohanty explained.

Percolation pits can harm flora and fauna in the following ways, according to the expert:

1. The pits are dug beside trees, and so, the roots of the tree itself, along with roots of other vegetation are severed. This disrupts the intake of nutrients and water to the tree and other local flora
2. Large mammals like elephants, deer, bisons, and even cattle can easily twist their legs and break bones if they accidentally fall inside such artificial pits (18 inches deep) while moving on an otherwise level and unbroken flat forest floor
3. Herbivores like deer or barking deer or wild boar are at a greater risk of breaking legs if they fall in the pits while being chased by predators
4. Such pits get obscured by creepers and bushes and remain concealed, posing a danger to unsuspecting humans and cattle who enter the forest and break their legs
5. The pits also affect natural regeneration of forests since seedlings growing from seeds that have fallen from mother trees are destroyed when such pits are dug

The impact of these pits on herpetofauna is also enormous since most are ground-dwelling, according to WSO. 

Most  frogs, snakes, lizards and also a few species of land dwelling turtles occupy a common niche in the forest floor and depend upon twigs, flowers, fruits, insects, termites, ants, wasps and soil organisms for  food and natural behavioural expression, Mohanty said. “If there is reduction/removal of natural plant settings on the forest floor, there will be a huge effect as there is reduction of the food chain of reptiles and frogs.”

Basking on twigs, creepers, small growing trees is a must for lizard and arboreal species of snakes, because they need a substratum for perching to absorb sunlight. If nothing is available, their population will be wiped out from this habitat. By digging pits, the available basking space is abruptly reduced over a vast area from the forest floor as such creatures will never be able to enter and climb a pit.

The practice also affects mating, breeding and egg laying of lizards and snakes. 

The pits are dug in the forest to provide water to the animals, said Manoj Mohapatra, regional chief conservator of forest (RCCF), Bhubaneswar. These pits or water-holes are not posing any danger to the animals, he claimed.

Subscribe to Daily Newsletter :

SUPPORT US

We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.