Jhum cultivators continue to burn forests
Indigenous people burn trees to cultivate jhum at Boropilak village under Ramghor upazila in Khagrachhari.Photo: STAR
Defying government orders, local people are continuously engaged in jhum cultivation that is causing massive soil erosion in eight upazilas under Khagrachhari district. Forests and shrubs in these areas are being cleared out and burnt by the farmers while the traditional cultivation is also damaging biodiversity in hilly areas posing threat to environment. During jhum cultivation, many valuable timber trees and medicinal plants are also stolen from the forest. Even the jhum farmers sometime build permanent houses in the forestland ignoring government orders, sources said. About 8284 indigenous farmers in Khagrachhari have been cultivating traditional jhum on over 20,700 acres of hilly land, including reserve forest for their livelihood, sources in the District Agriculture Extension Office (DAEO) said. But the number of farmers and lands might be three times higher than the DAEA statistics, locals said. The indiscriminate jhum cultivation on the hill slopes is increasing as it earns good profit for the indigenous farmers during the rainy season, causing the revenue loss to the government as well as decreasing the reserve or unclassified state forest, they said. Barun Tripura, a 38-year-old farmer at Zugalchhari reserve area under Panchhari upazila, said he burnt a big area in the reserve forest for jhum, saying as it is his traditional right. Dipali Tripura said she and her husband have cleared about five acres of the reserve forest land and about 50 farmers from her village did the same. She said she has not heard about laws that prohibited anybody from living in the reserve forest without permission from the administration or torching forests. She said none forbade her from clearing the forests. Ramona Tripura, 55, a woman from the same area, said they live in the reserve forest and cultivate jhum as they have no source of income. Panchhari Range Office sources said they are trying their best to make farmers aware of the possible disaster due to deforestation but the farmers pay little attention to their advice. Sub-Assistant Agriculture Extension Officer Md Nasir Ahmad Chowdhury said jhum cultivation is responsible for extinction of wildlife and damage to biodiversity. Khagrachhari Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ali Kabir admitted unabated jhum cultivation in the reserve forest areas. DAEO Deputy Director Abdul Malek said many wild animals are leaving the areas due to disappearance of dense forests due to jhum cultivation.
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