ICAR DG asked NE states to look immediate alternative of Jhum

Agartala, Jul 24 (UNI) Agricultural scientists urged NE state governments to make alternative arrangement for the shifting cultivators to ensure a sustainable production in agricultural land.

Talking to media here today Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary of Department of Agricultural Research and Education Dr Mangala Rai said about 16 MT of nutrient soil from per hectre of land had been degraded in India due to shifting cultivation (Jhum) while 19 per cent of the soil was deposited in the sea.

As a result, the water bodies, including seabeds, are losing their natural course while deforestation and loss of soil especially in the hill areas, are leading to increased siltation of rivers and streams, which increased the incidences of flood.

According to statistics, about 325 hectre of land in the region is still under shifting cultivation (Jhum) and more than 10 lakh tribal of NE are practicing jhum.

Forest Survey of India Report 1999 indicated, except Brahmaputra and Barak valleys of Asom, little of the land is available for settled cultivation and hence, shifting agriculture or slash-and-burn agriculture is the major land use in NE India and extends over 1.73 million hectre.

"Different agencies have come up with different figures concerning the total area under Jhum, but what is not disputable is that with an ever shortening Jhum cycle, the other human influences have caused environmental degradation with disastrous consequences," Dr Rai stated.

He has stressed on the need of immediate steps to stop Jhum and added though NE India is predominantly mountainous, the region is very rich in aquatic ecosystem diversity.

A large number of lakes, ponds and marshlands in the low-lying and flooded areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura represent the diversity in lentic ecosystems.

However, the deep pools that are the favoured habitats of many species, are rapidly becoming shallow and choked with silt, leading to a decline in habitat. At the same time, swamps, marshes and other wetlands are increasingly being reclaimed for urban and agricultural expansion, Dr Rai added.

UNI