Nayagarh: There was a time when both sides of Dahuka river at Jadupur village in Naygarh district had dense forest of luxuriant black plum (locally known as jamun) trees. However, they will soon become a thing of the past as the river eats into their banks.
Scores of families living in its vicinity used to eke out a living from selling black plumps and preparing traditional medicines from it. They now worried over the depletion of such medicinal plants.
Five kilometres from district headquarters, the black plum forest is spread over an area of 20 acres near the river. Only 500 black plum trees were left to survive on both sides of the river. The forest is fast depleting as the river has been eroding its banks.
For various reasons, tourists are attracted to this jungle. In summer, the black plum jungle is used to provide relief to people from the sweltering heat. People enjoy the scenic beauty of the jungle under the shade of trees. During the rainy season, people throng the area to pluck black plums.
In the winter, the area turns into a picnic spot as tourists and locals find it a suitable place for picnicking as they do not face any problems in finding water and fuel.
However, children enjoy the place as the irrigation department has opened a children’s park near the Dahuka dam built over the river.
Significantly, about 200 families living in the proximity of the jungle depended on it for their livelihood. They make seasonal earnings from selling black plumps and preparing Ayurvedic medicines from various parts of black plump trees.
Locals recalled that a cyclone in 1955 dealt a death blow to the jamun forest by completely destroying it. However, Mochi Mohapatra, a local resident, had a strong attachment with the jungle and initiated measures to revive the jungle. He along with co-villagers undertook plantation of jamun saplings and kept a watch on them.
After Mochi, the dense forest was left unattended as the administration did not take any steps for the protection of the jungle. The villagers also planted mango and other fruit trees in the vacant places. Arrangements of fuel woods are also arranged from the jungle for performing funeral rites of people, said villagers.
The villagers demanded the district administration to take preventive measures to stop soil erosion in the area. An elderly person of the village said the administration should start packing the banks with stones which he said will stop soil from eroding and save jamun trees.
Villagers have mooted the idea of bee-keeping in jamun jungle so that they can enhance their income. They also demanded to declare it a tourist spot to expand the scope of income generation for local youths.
Sarpanch Somyaranjan Pradhan said even though villages have been demanding restoration of the jamun forest, the forest department has not heeded to it.