25,000 trees axed in Shahpur Kandi dam area

The Shahpur Kandi dam authorities have axed nearly 25,000 trees in its reservoir, a development which officials maintain will not affect ecological balance in the area.

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The trees were cut over a four-month period, commencing from June till September last year. While one side of the dam’s reservoir falls in Punjab, the other side is located in Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, as reports emanated about the axing, officials were quick to plant nearly 64,000 saplings in the premises of both the Ranjit Sagar Dam and the Shahpur Kandi Dam.

“It was imperative to cut the trees, otherwise the wood would have got trapped in the hydraulic gates and head regulators, which could have posed a serious problem. There are 22 such hydraulic gates and nine head regulators. Moreover, had we not axed the trees, they would have kept floating dangerously in the reservoir.”

—- Sher Singh, Chief Engineer (Canals)

The Forest Departments of both the states floated tenders for cutting trees. In all, 6,544 trees were chopped by J&K while 18,920 trees were axed by the Forest Department in Punjab.

Sher Singh, Chief Engineer (Canals), who is responsible for the overall supervision of the dam, said all necessary permissions had been obtained before the trees were felled.

“If migratory birds stop coming here, they will automatically make another place their abode. There are several wetlands nearby where they can spend the winters. Moreover, when such a big development project is taken up, there are bound to be minor hiccups. Not much should be read into this development.”

—- A wildlife department official

The development had given rise to rumours that thousands of migratory birds would be displaced. “This is not the case. Migratory birds will keep on coming. We have not disturbed their habitat,” said a senior official.

“It was imperative to cut the trees, otherwise the wood would have got trapped in the hydraulic gates and head regulators, which could have posed a serious problem. There are 22 such hydraulic gates and nine head regulators. Moreover, had we not axed the trees, they would have kept floating dangerously in the reservoir,” said Sher Singh

One of the functions of the hydraulic gates is to regulate the water level in the reservoir. Operators can control the inflow and outflow of water, thus maintaining the desired levels for irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric power generation.

Executive Engineer Nitin Sood said, “The bird count will not be affected at all. If the trees were not removed, many of them would have got submerged in the reservoir’s waters.”

“If migratory birds stop coming here, they will automatically make another place their abode. There are several wetlands nearby where they can spend the winters. Moreover, when such a big development project is built, there are bound to be minor hiccups. Not much should be read into this development,” said a wildlife department official. The then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had laid the foundation stone of the Shahpur Kandi project in 1995. The venture faced many hurdles from the very beginning due to disputes between the governments of J&K and Punjab. The work also remained suspended for many years. It was resumed in 2018 with the intervention of PM Narendra Modi.