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Illegal extraction of construction aggregate and deforestation in the Chure region has long been a cause for concern that has never quite been addressed.

The Chure hill range is spread across 37 Tarai districts, and over the years, its resources have been exploited to the point people living on its foothills are facing environmental consequences.

“There was a time when Chure was a blessing for the Tarai. It used to be an important source of freshwater for civilizations below,” Bijaya Kumar Singh, a Chure expert says. “Now landslide and drought have become common occurrences in the region.”

According to the 1986 report of the Land Resource Mapping Project, the Chure region consisted of 1.45m hectares of forest cover. The Chure forest size has shrunk rapidly since then. The Forest Resource Survey report of 2010 put the Chure’s forest size at 1.37m hectares.

Conservationists and experts say the forest cover of Chure has reduced exponentially in the past 12 years, as its resources are getting exploited at the behest of powerful political leaders.

 They add the authorities are turning a blind eye on illegal crusher plants that occupy the rivers and streams that flow from the Chure.

Crusher operators and timber traders resort to threat and violence if they are met with opposition.  

On 10 Jan 2020, Chure activist Dilip Mahato was murdered by the thugs paid by a crusher operator in Dhanusha district. Chure conservation campaigns have gained many supporters in recent years, but such campaigns are largely citizen-led, hence powerless. 

“Crusher operators are above the law because they work hand in glove with local politicians,” says Som Prasad Sharma, Madhes province chair of the Federation of Community Forestry Users’ Nepal. “For them, Chure is a gold mine and they have no qualms about using violence or bribes to continue their illegal business.”

Their actions have led the water sources to dwindle in many Tarai districts during the dry season.

“Chure deforestation has dried up the water sources, which becomes evident during winter,” says Nagadev Yadav, a Chure conservationist. 

“It is opposite during the monsoon. There are floods and landslides due to over-mining of riverbed close to human settlements.”

According to a Home Ministry’s report, 156 people lost their lives and 30 others remain unaccounted for in the Madhes province in flood-related incidents. 

Experts say stopping mining and logging activities in the Chure region alone will solve half of the problem. The rest, they say, can be taken care of through afforestation and other rejuvenation campaigns.

“There should be a sustainable symbiotic relationship between the Chure range and the communities living on its foothills. This is the only way to restore balance,” says Girirajmani Pokharel, a former education minister, who is currently leading a green campaign in Madhes.

Ramashish Yadav, environmental campaigner and assembly member of Madhes Province, says people should understand that Chure is the lifeline of Madhes.

 “It is upon us all to conserve Chure,” he says. “We cannot survive without Chure.”

Kathmandu Valley recorded 125 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 100 cases were reported in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur and Lalitpur logged seven and 18 cases respectively in the last 24 hours. 

As of today, there are 694 active cases in the country.

Nepal reported 206 new Covid-19 cases today. 

According to the Ministry, 2, 082 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 177 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 093 people underwent antigen tests, of which 29 were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 45 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 1, 005 active cases in the country.

A book titled “Rana Tharu Samudayama Prachalit Lokkatha Ra Mithak” written by journalist Indra Chaudhary was launched amidst a function in the Capital on Monday.

The investigative book was published by Nepal Pragya Pratisthan.

The book was mainly focused on the popular folk stories and myths of Rana Tharu Community who live only in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts in the far-western region of Nepal.

“Folklores are the traditional stories created by the community,” writer Chaudhary said, adding, “It has direct influence on faith, belief, culture and society.”

The knowledge and experience of one generation are passed on to another generation through this type of stories, he said. That is why, in order to safeguard the existence of human civilization and community, it is necessary to preserve it in writing, Chaudhary further said.

Though he was born in the Dangaura Tharu Community, Chaudhary said that he grew up with the people of Rana Tharu

“I got an opportunity to understand the culture, tradition, customs and rituals of Rana Tharu closely. But, the folk traditions have been vanishing at present with the influence of modernization. That is why, I think all these things should be preserved and I started collecting the folk stories,” he said.

The book has the collection of 12 stories like “Karmuo Aur Sapano,” “Sadasurka Aur Sadabircha,” “Soratha,” among others.

Likewise, the various castes, sub-castes popular in Rana Tharu Community and myths are also included in the book.