Tumakuru's Environment & Heritage Issues

I recently came upon some facts on Devarayanadurga forests, not known to many outside the forest department. Most of these are mentioned in Letter No. 3676, dated the 20th of November 1906, from the Conservator of Forests in Mysore. This makes an interesting read for any one who knows about this wonderful piece of woodland, considered to be the earliest reserve forest not only in Karnataka but also in India. Devarayanadurga at present is a 42 sq km forest located on the outskirts of south India's Tumkur City. It has a population of wild langur, chital, leopards and wild boars. It is home to nearly 250 species of birds and more than 50 butterfly types. It feeds tens of streams that quench the parched throats of tens of thousands of surrounding villagers. The forest forms a major catchment area for the two streams- Jaya and Mangali. These streams have been dammed at Irrakasandra Project and Teeta Dam (the well-known Goravanahalli Temple). Downstream they join the Northern Pinakini...

Posted on 10 July 2007. Updated with google maps on 5 June 2013. A view of one of the hills carved up for wind farms and electricity transmission lines, seen from the Sri Rangapatna - Bidar State Highway No: 19 (proposed National Highway^) just north of Huliyar Town along Chitradurga - Tumkur districts' border. For quite some time, renewable energy sources have been touted to be a viable alternative to coal energy that causes global warming and hydro energy that drowns prime forests. To encourage renewable energy production, the Government is aggressively pushing wind energy production. But these days, wind farms are being set up by businessmen whose main concern is profit making and not nature conservation. Tens of thousands of wind turbines and electric power transmission lines have sprouted all over south India, particularly in the immediate vicinity of Western Ghats. Among the areas where wind turbines have been erected in Karnataka are the hills and highlands of eas...

The small bullock cart path from Giregowdanahalli - ID Halli cross that passes through Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve has been expanded violating the Forest Conservation Act (1980) and the Honourable Supreme Court of India's 1996 judgement in the Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India case. ( The above picture was taken just outside the boundaries of the reserve, pictures from inside the reserve can be seen below ). View Larger Map The Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve near Maidenahalli has been severely affected by a road construction, as has been happening in Devarayanadurga. During our last conversation, the DCF of Tumkur had assured WANC member Ameen Ahmed that no permission was sought to build this road and that he would instruct the RFO to stop this. Unfortunately the destruction at Maidenahalli is a sad indication of the way things have been working in Tumkur Division of Karnataka Forest Department now. A new course has bee...