Uprooted trees, not illegal logging in Chamba: Forest Dept’s explanation

After a large quantity of wood found floating in the Ravi river near Chamba town’s Sheetla Bridge last week sparked speculations of large-scale tree felling, the Forest Department has clarified that it was driftwood and naturally uprooted trees.

Heavy rainfall and cloudbursts lashed Chamba between August 23 and 26, triggering flashfloods and landslides across the district. The calamity caused extensive damage to infrastructure, with many roads washed away, communication and power lines snapped and water schemes disrupted, leaving local residents marooned for days.

Amid all this, speculations were rife on social media and in a section of press that wood sleepers were found floating near Sheetla Bridge. Chamba Deputy Conservator of Forests Kritagya Kumar said during the spell of extreme weather, large quantities of naturally uprooted trees and driftwood were washed into the Ravi river. Field inspections confirmed that the logs comprised uprooted trees and that no sawn sleepers were found at the site.

“No sawn wood or sleepers was found to have come ashore near Sheetla Bridge. These were only uprooted trees and driftwood carried downstream due to cloudbursts and heavy inflows,” he said. Kumar said the drift originated from multiple sources —trees uprooted on steep slopes due to landslides as well as large volumes that got accumulated year-round in reservoirs of National Hydropower Corporation’s Chamera-II Dam at Bagga and Chamera-III Dam at Hibra in Bharmour.

When dam gates were opened during heavy inflows, this accumulated material flowed downstream, getting temporarily lodged near Sheetla Bridge and eventually moving further to the NHPC Chamera-I Dam near Bhalei, he said.

The DCF said the species identified in the drift include deodar, tosh, kail, chil, peak and other broad-leaved trees. “Prompt measures have been taken to secure government property. The department is systematically retrieving the driftwood for proper accounting and disposal,” he added.