Chure Conservation

Consisting of the youngest hills formed by river deposition during the formation of the Himalayas millions of years ago, the Chure range extends from the Indus River in Pakistan in the west to the Bharamaputra River of India in the east. Also called “Shivalik”, it spans over 800 km, covering 36 districts in Nepal from Ilam in the east to Kanchanpur in the west.  Home to diverse flora and fauna, including megafauna like tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses, the riches of the range breathe life into 41 species of mammals, 379 varieties of birds, 24 species of amphibians, 75 species of reptiles, 279 species of butterflies, and 104 species of fish. 

Covering about 13 per cent of the country’s total area, it is a fragile landscape - geologically and ecologically. Its geomorphology, marked by soft, erodible sediments, exposes it to the risk of being eroded and degraded. It is also the source of life and livelihood for millions of people living downstream, making its conservation a matter of life and death for them. Recognising this importance and in its efforts at conservation, the government launched the President's Chure Conservation Programme in 2011. 

The Chure is back in the news again for grim reasons. Speaking at the inauguration of the first national conference of the Chure and Forest Conservation Campaign Nepal in Janakpur, the speaker of Madhes Province, Ramchandra Mandal, warned that Madhes would face a severe crisis if the conservation of the Chure region was not taken seriously. As referenced by the Speaker, the Chure is the primary source of drinking water for the province. The rivers stemming from it and its underground water reserves have been fulfilling the region's irrigation needs and quenching its thirst. 

Also delivering a speech at the programme was Ashish Yadav, the Provincial Assembly Member, who demanded that the federal, provincial, and local governments prioritise Chure conservation through scientific methods. He also called for the revocation of policies that encourage its exploitation under the pretext of land ownership distribution. Likewise, Acting Forest Director of Madesh Province, Sujit Kumar Jha, remarked that Chure conservation was not just an environmental issue but also directly linked to the food security of the country. Very true indeed!   

However, the unbridled exploitation of the riches of the rivers has caused them to change their natural course, adding to the region's vulnerability to natural disasters like floods. Unchecked deforestation has denuded the region of its dense forests in some areas. The ramifications of this destruction extend beyond the immediate Madhes region to adjoining Indian territory across the border in the form of acute water scarcity unleashed by the drying up of water sources, both surface and underground.  

A year or so ago, this daily carried a story featuring how a severe water shortage in mid-January, months before the onset of the summer season, is emptying a village in the northern region of Dhanusha district, in the Chure region, of its longtime inhabitants, and how rivers, water canals, wells, and hand pumps had started drying up in the Bateshwor, Mithila, Dhanusadham and Ganeshnatha Charnath Rural Municipalities, worrying farmers there about imminent poor agricultural yields. The crisis was attributed to the unfettered excavation of riverine products, the destruction of Chure Hills, and rampant deforestation.

Ever since the launching of the President's Chure Conservation Programme, significant efforts have been made at Chure Conservation. Yet illegal activities under the cover of darkness are still said to have been happening. This calls for more stringent measures, as well as the heeding of the demands put forth by the aforementioned speakers.