ISRO Satellite Images, Drone Surveys Reveal Tree Felling, Land Encroachment, Wildlife Habitat Destruction Across Chhattisgarh's Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve.

Dhamtari: Satellite imagery from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and high-resolution drone surveys have revealed that over the past 15 years, around one lakh trees were illegally felled across 106 hectares (roughly 265 acres) of land within the core wildlife habitat zone of Chhattisgarh's Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, and the Mahanadi catchment area, resulting in encroachment of land as well.

The investigation has revealed that 166 individuals from Jaitpuri village, located adjacent to the Tiger Reserve, have encroached in a systematic manner. While the extent of the encroachment stood at 45 hectares in 2011, it has expanded to 106 hectares over the subsequent decade. A shocking aspect of this discovery is that most of the encroachers already possessed land within designated revenue areas. Despite this, driven by greed, they proceeded to occupy the protected forest zone.

According to the data, the area previously supported a density of approximately 1,000 trees per hectare, a figure that has now plummeted to a mere 25-50 trees per hectare. This indicates that the forest was cleared on a massive scale to facilitate illegal cultivation and land occupation. Furthermore, efforts to expand the encroachment were found to be ongoing even at present, using methods like tree felling and "girdling" (a technique involving the removal of bark to kill trees) in several locations.

166 Encroachers Identified

Varun Jain, Deputy Director of the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, stated that approximately 166 individuals have encroached upon 106.16 hectares within Sitanadi's core area. This encroachment has steadily escalated over the last 15 years. The specific area under encroachment constitutes a critical section of the tiger reserve, and falls within the Mahanadi catchment zone. Moreover, an elephant corridor also traverses this region. As a result, the encroachers are exacerbating the conflict between humans and wildlife.

Jain said digital evidence is being used to tackle encroachers. A comparative analysis, conducted by mapping and cross-referencing imagery from ISRO's CARTOSAT satellites for the years 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2022, alongside drone imagery, has revealed that tree felling has occurred on a massive scale.

Operations to remove the remaining tree stumps are also currently underway. In several locations, trees have been set on fire. Through drone surveys, precise mapping has been conducted covering every detail — from specific areas occupied by each encroacher, to their agricultural fields, felled trees, and even the stumps — with the imagery offering a zoom capability down to a resolution of 10 cms.

Action Underway Against 166 Accused Individuals

The tiger reserve administration has registered various cases against all 166 accused individuals, and has issued eviction notices. Under the Wildlife Protection Act, they face potential imprisonment of up to 7 years, while under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, they face provisions for rigorous imprisonment of up to 3 years.

"Eviction proceedings against the encroachers will be executed within a month; the process of issuing notices to the accused is currently underway. Procedures will also be initiated to attach properties acquired using illicit income generated through these encroachments," said Jain.

The region encompassing the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve is ecologically extremely sensitive. The Sitanadi forest area serves not only as the source of the Mahanadi River, but also as a critical habitat for wildlife species like elephants, leopards, and tigers. The encroachment that has occurred in this region has not only damaged the natural habitats of these wild animals, but also created a grave risk of escalating human-wildlife conflict.