4 kilometer stretch of river in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve runs dry due to encroachment

PILIBHIT: Encroachment and illegal construction on the Mala riverbed has caused a 4-km stretch of the perennial river, flowing through Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), to run dry, thereby harming the riparian ecosystem and the wildlife.
A sub-tributary of the Ganga, this small river originates from the Surai forests of Uttarakhand and flows nearly 150km before merging into the Devha river.The Mala flows through the core forest area of PTR for 25 km.
Stretch poses threat to survival of wildlife
A s it is the primary waterhole for the reserve’s wildlife, the dry stretch of the river, compounded with prevailing dry weather and heatwave, posed a threat to the survival of the reserve’s wildlife. Over 2 hectares of land, including the riverbed, just on the fringe of PTR – near Pilibhit-Basti NH 730 – has been encroached by a ‘baba’ (so-called godman) six years ago.
However, alert wildlife enthusiasts brought the matter to the notice of the authorities, following which an eviction notice was issued by the revenue administration of Kalinagar tehsil on Sept 10, 2022. Ironically, the riverbed has not been freed from the squatter till date.
PTR divisional forest officer (DFO) Manish Singh has now urged district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh to use police force to evict the encroacher. “Revival of the river stream is essential for protecting the reserve’s wildlife, as man-made waterholes can never substitute natural water sources,” said the DFO.
It is feared that the dry stretch of river has also adversely affected the turtle population, as the Mala river is home to nearly 6 reptile species enlisted in schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act,” DFO Singh said. SDM Kalinagar Ashutosh Gupta said, “I had directed the tehsildar concerned on Dec 18, 2023, to ensure the eviction of the encroacher within a week but this did not happen.
I will take strict action in the matter soon.” DM Sanjay Kumar Singh and superintendent of police Avinash Pandey said the land would soon be freed from illegal possession. “Encroachment on riverbeds is illegal and harms the riparian ecosystem, reduces groundwater recharge and poses threat of flash floods,” said Ritesh Kumar, South Asia head of Wetlands International, a global institution based in the Netherlands.