Coordinated efforts needed for Chure’s conservation: PM

BY A STAFF REPORTER,Kathmandu, June 17: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that Chure Hill is the source of water and lifeline for the people of Tarai-Madhes. 

Speaking at a broader tree plantation programme organised on the occasion of the 10th Chure Conservation Day on Sunday, the Prime Minister said that the natural resources of the Chure region are exploited rampantly. 

He further said that the Chure region has become weak because of infrastructure development activities carried out without Detailed Project Report (DPR), proper engineering design and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

He said coordination, co-work and joint efforts of the federal, provincial and local governments were essential for the conservation of the Chure region. The Chure region is a multi-faceted and multi-stakeholder issue, he added.

“The Chure mountain range, extending over 37 districts from Ilam in the east to Kanchanpur in the west, is extremely sensitive from a geo-biological and geological perspective. It is rich in biodiversity and culture and is a habitat for rare wildlife. The Chure range has connected the hills, Dun, Bhabar, and Tarai-Madhes regions,” said PM Prachanda.

Stating that the 20-year Chure-Tarai-Madhes Conservation and Management Master Plan, approved in 2017, should be implemented with amendments, he said that the government was coordinating the necessary efforts for a separate act for Chure conservation.

Prime Minister Prachanda informed that afforestation was done in approximately 10,000 hectares of barren land, including river uplift areas. Various species of bamboo and fruit saplings were planted by the locals in the past.

Stating that looking after the planted tree was as important as tree plantation, PM Prachanda pointed out the need for the protection of planted saplings. He said, “Until the planted trees grow and the local community receives the produced goods or services, continuous conservation is necessary.”

PM Prachanda said that the extraction of stones, gravel, and sand had escalated the exploitation of the Chure region, posing a significant risk to the river system.

He said that the increasing population, unplanned settlements, forest encroachment, forest fires, open grazing, extraction of riverine materials, unregulated physical infrastructure development and soil erosion were making conservation increasingly challenging.

Prime Minister Prachanda said, “Therefore, we must allow the forests, vegetation, wildlife and ecological systems in the Chure region to thrive, to save the people of Tarai-Madhes from disasters.”