I want to you to close your eyes and imagine a scene of a “Jungle”. The first thing that will come up in your mind will be that there is a peaceful environment, now you are starting to listen to some sounds like chirping of birds, there is sun shining at your face, and while you are walking inside the forest, you just stepped on a wood piece which made a cracking voice. Now as you are going inside the forest, you start to hear the voices of Monkeys, they are jumping from one tree to another. As you move further, you can hear the voice of water flowing in the river that flows through the forest. As you are getting farther inside the forest, you can feel the cool wind blowing and the sunlight reaching the ground is decreasing because the forest is getting denser and denser with more species of plants and animals. Being inside a forest is scary and heartwarming because you found yourself between mother nature. You feel happy seeing so many lives thriving inside the forest, seeing deer with their fawns, crocodiles hunting their prey. They all are living peacefully without causing harm to the human settlements unless it’s a case where the habitat of those animals is reduced and they comes out of the jungle in search of food.
On one fine day, an officer thinks to reduce the forest area and build some buildings that already exist at some other place. This is what is going to be happen to Raika forest in Jammu. Raika is a forest located on the outskirts of the city of Jammu and acts as the lungs of the city. Now, the forest is under threat from the proposed High Court shifting project, for which 38,000 tress are going to be chopped down.
Raika forest is a part of Bahu Conservation Reserve, which is home to many endangered species. Bahu reserve is home to various species of flora and fauna like rock pigeon, red-vented bulbul, wild boar, rhesus monkey etc. Other endangered species includes Green peafowl, which is listed in schedule 1 of the Wildlife Act, 1972 and appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. Another Schedule 1 species found here is leopard. Rabbits, Snakes, Bears, Chakor, Porcupine also reside in this forest.
Jammu comes in the seismic zone of IV and V and the eco-sensitive region raises concerns over future calamities due to the chopping down of trees. It will not only lower down the AQI of the Jammu city but will also reduce rainfall in the region. The forests protect us from the floods because they help absorb the excessive water due to heavy rainfall. As I mentioned previously, the region lies in the seismic zone, the rapid concretisation of hills near the city in Raika forest might lead to another disaster like in Joshimath. Those in power are betraying our future by giving allowance to big projects recklessly, without even thinking about the consequences.
Featured Image by Akash Bazala via Google