Seminar by GIZ, Nainital

Introduction

A seminar on ‘Preparing the participation of Uttarakhand at the ITB Berlin 2011’ was organized by GIZ and Uttarakhand Shashan on ‘20 Jan 2011’ at Administrative Training Institute (A.T.I), Nainital from 10 am to 5 pm. 30 participants availed this opportunity and most of them being from the Hospitality Industry. The District Magistrate, Mr. Shailesh Bangoli, the Managing Director, Kumaun Mangal Vikas Nigam, Mr. Y.Yadav and Mr. Subrato, Head, GIZ, India were present.

This seminar was felicitated by Mr. Alfons Eiligmann a Consultant with GIZ, Germany. Mr. Alfons explained the importance of pre – preparation for any International/National Trade Fair. As pre – preparation is the key to a successful trade fair, the rest is pure luck. He also explained the key factors to any successful event with examples from the past.

The seminar was structured in a way that helped participants to walk through issues, starting from How to make best use of the ITB trade fair, along with things that need to be addressed, the intended or assumed impact of trade fairs, and finally the actual implementation of Uttarakhand as a product both for the Trade Fair as well as personal growth, development and marketing of our products by making them ‘unique’ from other products available in the market.

In the seminar Mr. Alfons Eiligmann gave a fair knowledge of different Trade fairs by highlighting the Points given below:

• General marketing aspects
• How to Participating in Trade Fairs and aims
• Catalogue and information system
• Accommodation
• Brochure
• Furnishings
• Lighting and Graphic design
• Information media
• Photographs and slides
• Hospitality
• Attracting visitors
• Advertising
• Follow-up
• Action on follow-up

The workshop was quite interesting as well as interactive, covering an understanding of a lot of things to make an event successful. The feedback of the participants confirmed that the seminar was much appreciated. There is a pressing need for more practical approaches and for opportunities to discuss these kind of issues.

There is going to be a follow up by the core team members and further details will be summarized in a few days. All in all an informative and interactive workshop that one can go to.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss ways of saving revrine ecosystem and the species dependent on them (with a focus on the Ramganga River and the golden mahseer), and to discuss ways of promoting Uttarakhand as an angling destination. Workshop attendees included representatives of the Forest Department, other conservation societies, and interested parties from outside the state. Villagers from Bandran, Nagtale, Baluli, and Jamun Villages were also important attendees at the workshop.

From the Forest Department, attendees included  Mr.Rajiv Bhartari (Senior Indian Forest Officer), Mr. A.S. Negi (Former Chief Of  Forest, Uttarakhand), Mr. Aalum Singh (Marchulla Fishing Guide), Mr. Amit Verma (DFO Haldwani), Mr. Anand Singh (Marchulla Fishing Guide), Mr. Jaiprakash Sundriyal (President EDC Baluli/ Chimpani/ Bagroti), and Mr. R.S.Haldar (Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries & Research (ICAR)).

Attendees from other conservation societies included Mr. Sumantha Ghosh (Mahseer Conservancy), Ms. Minakshi Pandey (Camp Forktail Creek), Mr. Misty Dhillon (The Himalayan Outback Camp), Mr. Ritish Suri (Camp Forktail Creek), Mr. Hem Bahuguna (Mahseer Conservancy), Mr. N.S. Negi, Mr. Vikram Singh Rawat (Executive Director Salt Public School), Mr. Sidharth Anand (Blaze Trails), Ms. Nicola Addison (Mahseer Conservancy), Mr. Aashish Rawat, Mr. Anand Singh Rawat, Mr. Bopanna (Indian Angler Forum), Mr. Brahamanad Sundriyal (Mahseer Conservancy), Mr. Brijendra Prasad, Mr. Dheeraj Bisht, Mr. Dhruv Dhindsa, Mr. Harsh Rana, Mr. Hoshiar Singh (Mahseer Sanrakshan Samiti, Pancheshwar), Mr. Jagat Singh Rawat, Mr. Karnvir Saran Das, Mr. Tej Singh (Mahseer Sanrakshan Samiti Pancheshwar), Rana Sidhu (Go AdventureSports).

People from the villages included Mr.Raj Hans Bora (Gram Pradhan Baluli/ Sankar/ Jamaria), Mr. Sanju (Marchulla), Mr. Shambhu (Bandran), Mr. Y.S.Rawat, Mr. Bhupal Singh, Mr. Sabir Singh, Mr. Surendra Singh, Mr. Mangliram, Mr. Manvar Singh Rawat, Mr. Manwar Singh, Mr. Mathuradutt.

The workshop started early morning with a general introduction from Mr. Sumantha Ghosh followed by Mr. Misty Dhillon describing the beauty of the Ramganga River. The workshop’s agenda was divided in six parts, all of which were introduced by Mr. Ghosh, who ask everyone to focus on the following topics:

1) Partnering community concerns- what the community has, what does the community want, and what we can do?

2) Government concerns- legalities, angling fees, access to state waters, fingerlings for beats, river protection via forest/Van Panchayat guards/ guide/ gillies.

3) Beat regulation- code of conduct (regulated commercial activity), Van Panchayat’s contribution, patrolling, weakness and strengths of present state of existing beats.

4) Research and development, including wildlife institute and fisheries contributions.

5) Promoting conservation- awareness programs, garbage disposal etc.

6) How can we all work together? (Structure an association, partnering with local communities, lodges and guides, alternate income (fishing guide programs, home stay, fishery project, vegetable garden, poultry farm))

Everyone was given the chance to give their opinions on each point. This resulted in some argument, but also a lot of practical ideas.  The village people had many ideas for alternate incomes, which they are currently unable to implement due to a lack of funding, something which the conservation community and forest department has promised to help with.

In terms of saving the Tor Putitora  in the ramganga river, the following points were raised:

• Dynamiting  should be stopped in rivers.
• Angling should be promoted as a sport.
• local people should be trained and employed in angling (for example, as guides), and in angling tourism in accordance to their different abilities.
• There should be greater local involvement in conservation programmes, and also greater involvement from the wider conservation community.
• Villagers are not the only reason for the decline in fish numbers, and therefore the full blame should not be placed on them.
• For maintaining ecological balance, net fishing should be allow, but with limits on net sizes.
• Only catch and release angling should be allowed.
• Changes are needed in conservation programming, and in the beat system.
• Similar workshops should be held in other places.
• Hatcheries and the release of fingerlings to the river should be considered.
• Promotion of Van Panchayats.
• Formation of a local angling information office at Marchula
• Village ladies should be given some alternate income source if they are willing, and a development association should be created.

The afternoon session was a discussion on what everyone wanted to see happen as a result of the workshop. Mr. Rajiv Bhartari offered manpower and  promised to help as much as possible through the forest department, and suggested a state level angling event to promote the sport.

All participants were satisfied with the overall discussion, and all points were noted by the members of the community.  The meeting was declared closed at the end of the day.

The second day of the workshop was devoted to compiling a task list from the first day’s discussions.  This was opened for discussion, and everyone was again given a chance to voice their opinions.  The meeting was dismissed after tasks and responsibilities were given to different parties.  A meeting memorandum outlining the conclusions and tasks is currently being compiled and will be distributed to all participants once it is complete.  A society will also be formed in the near future, with the aims of promoting angling tourism, and conserving the river and the communities that live on the river.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, On behalf of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi, we wish toextend our heartfelt gratitude to Shri Sujit Banerjee, Secretary, Shri Sanjay Kothari,Additional Secretary (T) and Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, ADG (T) Ministry of Tourism,Government of India for giving the opportunity to the institute to conduct the audit/ survey ofhotels, lodges, resorts, camps and guest houses in and around Corbett National Park,Uttarakhand.

We take this opportunity to convey our sincere thanks to Shri Rajiv Bhartari, AdditionalSecretary, Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand for providing guidance, logistic support andmodalities to conduct survey.

We would like to thank Dr. Prabhaker Dubey, Director and Smt. Dhiraj Bhalla, Asst. DG,Ministry of Tourism for coordinating the survey.

We also extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Mandeep Singh, President, Mr. Toby Sinclair, Vice President, and all other officials of ‘Eco Tourism Society of India’ for providing valuable information to the survey team and inviting them to attend workshop on “Environment Laws and Sustainable Tourism”. We would also like to thank to Mr. Abhishek Behl, TOFT IndiaWildlife Association and Ms. Prenra Bindra, eminent Wildlife Journalist for their inputs for the survey.

We would like to express our thanks to all the people at TRH/ TRC who made our stay very pleasant and comfortable and for all their hospitality extended to us.

We sincerely thank all the media people who have given a lot of publicity by covering the survey for so many days.

SUMMARY

Background of the survey – Keeping in mind the recent spate of tiger mortality, the Ministry of Tourism under the leadership of Shri Sujit Banerjee, Secretary, Shri Sanjay Kothari, AST) and Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, ADG (T) has taken an initiative to conduct an audit/ survey of all the lodging establishments in and around Corbett National Park.

Aim & Objectives of the survey- The main objective of the audit/ survey was to study theimpact of tourism, with specific reference, to lodging establishments on environment and wild life of the National Park.

Methodology used – A Questionnaire was used to collect data from all resorts, hotels, camps, odges and guest houses in and around Corbett National Park by the team consisting of 10students under the guidance of 2 faculty members from Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa,New Delhi (IHM Pusa).

Findings & Inference – 77 existing resorts/ hotels and 17 under construction were surveyed where 1421 rooms and 3197 beds are present in existing resorts/ hotels. Some of the findings include 69% rooms are AC, 48% owners are locals, 71.4% resorts are less than 5 years old, 19.4% use solar energy, 37.6% resorts segregate waste and only 10.3% are having eco riendly building.

Areas of Concern – Concrete buildings, heavy vehicular traffic, no proper waste segregation & disposal, loud music/ DJ, no proper water supply, excessive camp fire and other activities are some of the areas of concern.

Recommendations & Suggestions – Ban on concrete buildings, proper guidelines for construction, camp fire, playing music and organizing conventions and concerts in open is recommended. It is suggested to reduce the number of vehicles, to lay water and drainage pipelines, to collect and dispose or recycle dry waste by local body or cooperative of resorts. Eco awareness drives, announcing awards and survey of other reserves should also be done.

Annexure – Media Coverage & Questionnaire 

BACKGROUND OF THE SURVEY

Sariska was declared tiger-less in 2004 and now the news of Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh having lost all its tigers is very alarming given the small number of wild tigers that remain today. What is even more disturbing are the signals suggesting that there could be several other Tiger Reserves in a similar situa

The recent spate in tiger mortality reported from across the country has left most conservationists wondering about the future of tigers in the country. Till 4  September 2009  the over 61 tigers death have been reported in the year. (Source: TRAFFIC India, WWF Panda) Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is one of the oldest Tiger Reserves where the tigers are under threat. A rough estimate says that there are162 tigers in Corbett National Park. 11 tiger deaths have been reported in Corbett National Park in 2009 out of which 2 tiger deaths were noticed within 10 days in the month of December only.  Increased tourism activity may be one of the reasons for human-wild life conflict, habitat degradation and illegal wild life trade of which the tiger is a victim. Mushrooming of lodges, camps, resorts, hotels and guest houses in and around Tiger Reserves is leading to more vehicular traffic, water and air pollution, encroachment of the wild life space, hindrances to wild life movement, threat to the survival of tigers and other wild life.

This necessitated the study of the impact of tourism especially of accommodation establishment on wild life and to develop guidelines for responsible tourism with specific reference to Wild Life Sanctuaries and National Parks. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India under the leadership of Mr. Sujit Banerjee, Secretary, Mr. Sanjay Kothari, Additional Secretary (T) and Mr. Devesh Chaturvedi, ADG (T) has taken an initiative to conduct an audit/ survey of hotels, lodges, resorts, camps and guest houses in and around Tiger Reserves across the country.  Corbett National Park has been taken as a pilot project for the audit/ survey. Institute of Hotel management, Pusa, New Delhi has been assigned the task of doing audit/ survey on behalf of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. tion.

AIM

To study the impact of tourism with specific reference to accommodation on wild life and environment in Tiger Reserves/ National Parks of India to frame guidelines for responsible tourism.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the survey are as follows-

01. To list all the establishments providing accommodation in and around Corbett National Park.

02. To identify the number and types of rooms available.

03. To find out various services and facilities provided by these establishments.

04. To identify various activities undertaken by these establishments.

05. To find out the status of vehicular use by their establishment.

06. To find out the sources of energy used by these establishments.

07. To find out the sources of water supply used by these establishments.

08. To find out the sources of purchasing consumables and durables for their establishments.

09. To identify the waste disposal methods used by these establishments.

10. To find out the employment generation for the locals.

11. To identify their contribution towards environment and community.

12. To assess the impact of these establishments on wild life and eco system of the National Park.                             

METHODOLOGY

Questionnaire

A questionnaire was used for the survey. The questionnaire consisted of the questions related to general information about the ownership, property details, staff, community services, room tariff, hygiene & sanitation standards, eco-friendliness, their contribution towards community and environment, and number of tourist arrivals.

Informal discussions with experts, tourists, gypsy & taxi drivers, forest officials and other concerned people were also done by the survey team.

The survey team also had meetings with the officials of The Corbett Foundation, an NGO and Swedish Prof. Emil Uddhammar, Linnaeus University, Sweden. Ms. Frederique Lacraz  French Vulture Conservationist  also shared her views with the team .

Survey Team

The team from IHM Pusa comprised of the following-

2 faculty members – R K Gupta, Meenakshi Sumbly and

10 students – Mohit (M. Sc. HA-Previous), Abhas, Nitish, Prateek, Sandeep,

Srikanth, Vinod, Veeransh (B.Sc. 2 Year),  Aditi and Ramandeep (B.Sc. 1 Year).

Sample

All the hotels, lodges, resorts, camps and guest houses in various tourism zones of Corbett National Park were surve

Areas Covered

The areas covered in the survey were

Semal Khalia, Sawaldey, Dhela in the southern side of the park,

Aamdanda, Ringoda, Dhikuli, Garjia in the eastern side and

Mohan, Kumeria, Bhakrakhot, Marchula in the north-east side of the park.

Dhikala , Jamoon, Ramnagar, Kyari and Bailparav areas were also covered in the

survey.

Period of Survey

Total 7 days from 16  December 2009 to 22  December 2009 were used for survey. This

included travel from/ to Delhi.

FINDINGS

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

01. Total Number of Hotels/ Lodges/ Resorts/ camps/ Guest Houses surveyed

Zone wise distribution is as follows -

* Survey not done.         U.C.= Under Construction

** At planning stage at Patkot

02. Number of Rooms

03. Types of Rooms

04. Forms of Ownership (for existing properties)

05. The owner is Local resident

06. The owner of the hotel is also the land owner

07. The land owner is Local resident

08. The General Manager/ Resort Manager is Local Resident

09. Project in operation

INFERENCES

01.  Total 94 (98%) hotels, lodges, resorts, camps and guest houses in and around Corbett National Park were surveyed. Out of which 77 are in operations at present and 17 at different stages of under construction. There were 2 hotels at Pirumadara and 1 at Chorpani which could not be surveyed. There are 5 hotels at planning stage at Patkot .

02.  There are 1421 rooms available at present providing 3197 number of beds. In 3 more hotels (not surveyed) there are 26 rooms and 52 beds available.   There are approximately 270 rooms or 540 beds will be available in the year of 2010 in 22 under construction or planned to be constructed resorts.

03.  At present 980 (69%) rooms available are in AC category while rest of the rooms are air cooled or Non AC.   The maximum rooms are 1134 (79.8%) available in Double/Twin category and 120 (08.44%) available in the form of Tents

04.  In the case of ownership, 48 (62.3%) owners are having proprietorship form of ownership, 14 (18.1%) are of partnership and another 14 (18.1%) are franchisee, chain or management collaboration.

05.  Only 37 (48%) owners are the Local Resident of the area and 21 (27.2%) owners are not local resident. 19 (24.6%) owners did not specify.

06.  Only 33 (42.8%) owners of the resorts/ hotels also own the land and in 17 (22%) cases the owners of the resorts/ hotels and the land owners are different. 27 (35%) owners did not specify.

07.  Only 40 (51.9%) land owners are the local resident while 11 (14.2%) land owners did not specify.

08.  Only 47 (61%) General Managers/ Resort Managers are Local Resident while 25 (32.4%) are not.

09.  55 resorts (71.4%) started their operations within 05 years and another 17 resorts  have to start their operations during the year 2010. Only 7 (9%) resorts are more than 10 years old.

10.  Most of the resorts 45 (58.4%) are on the bank of River Kosi while Dhikala FRHs and Hideaway Riverside are inside the park.

11. Dhangadi gate is the most used entrance for the nation park which is the nearest to most of the resorts (59) also.

12.  The agriculture land is the most converted into resort construction as 55 (71.4%) resorts are constructed on agriculture land.

13.  The accessibility to these resorts/ hotels is mainly pucca road made up of concrete (36.3%) or bitumen (24.6%).

14.  The resorts/ hotels are spread over areas ranging from 2 bighas to 16 acres (256 bighas) and the covered area ranging from 25% to 60%.  (1 bigha = 2529.3 sqmt)

15.  The resorts/ hotels have the boundary made up of wall in 26 (33.7%) and wire in 24 (31.1%) cases while there are 8 (10.3%) resorts which have wall and wired fencing both. There are 04 resorts (05.1%) not having any boundary while 3 (3.8%)  resorts (including Dhikala) have solar fencing.

16.  There are 9 (11.6%) resorts which offer tented accommodation out of which 2 camps provide exclusively tented accommodation. On the other hand majority of them i.e. 49 (63.3%) are offering mixed accommodation and there are 12 (15.5%) resorts which have constructed cemented rooms only.

17.  There are 72 (93.5%) resorts which have the restaurants, 19 resorts (24.7%) have conference and banquet halls, and even 20 (25.9%) resorts have swimming pool and 4 (5.1%) resorts have discotheque.

18.  54(70.1%) the resorts organize events such as wedding party, New Year/ Christmas party, concerts or any other party.  A total number of 55 (71.4%) resorts organize camp fire and 60 (78.7%) resorts organize park visits.  8 resorts (10.3%)orgaized events in hall, 18 resorts (23.3%) in open and 28 resorts (36.3%) organize events in hall and in open as well.

19.   These resorts/ hotels own 49 safari jeeps. Out of these 47 jeeps have front facing seats while only 2 have side facing seats.   37 jeeps use petrol while 12 run on diesel.  Out of these only 3 have comprehensive insurance, 8 third party insurance and remaining 38 did not answer the question.  67 (87%) resorts/ hotels hire vehicles as and when they require while only 5 (6.4%) resorts/ hotels never hire vehicles.

20.   Only 41 (53.2%) resorts/ hotels have fire extinguishers, 3 (3.8%) have sand buckets to douse fire while 33 (42.8%) resorts/ hotels do not have any fire safety measures.  In the case of only 25 (32.4%) resorts/ hotels the staff is being trained in fire fighting. 37 (48.1%) resorts have more than 1 exit while 40 (51.9%) resorts have only 1 exit.

21.  There are 3 (3.8%) resorts/ camps which do not use any electricity while 74 (96.1%) resorts use supply from  UESB. There are 60 (77.9%) resorts which use electricity from UESB and generators both.  Out of the generators used 58 generators are diesel operated while 12 are petrol  ones. 42 generators are the noisy and 27 are silent generators.  Only 15 (19.4%) resorts/ hotels use solar energy mostly in heating water.  36 (46.7%) resorts use CFL bulbs in public areas, 49 (63.6%) in rooms and 34  (44.1%) in service areas.   67 (87%) resorts use gas as kitchen fuel and only 20 (25.9%) resorts/ camps use  wood as kitchen fuel. Out of which 17 (85%) use their own land for wood.  38 (49.3%) resorts illuminate their buildings regularlyduring night and 6 (7.7%)  occasionally.

22.  Maximum number of resorts 42 (54.5%) use bore well as a source of water  supply, than 35 (45.4%) from municipal council and 5 (6.4%) use river as a  source of water supply.   Only 42 (54.5%) resorts/ hotels use their own water treatment or R.O. treatment  otherwise all of them use bottled or mineral water for drinking purposes.  The resorts/hotels filter or chemically treat water to use in swimming pool.

23.  Local purchases are done by 75 (97.4%) resorts/ hotels for consumables and by  66 (85.7%) resorts/ hotels for durables.

24.  Only 29 (37.6%) resorts/ hotels segregate waste into dry or wet waste and only 27  (35%) into biodegradable or non-biodegradable.

34 (44.1%) resorts/ hotels use municipal body to dispose off their dry or kitchen  waste, 24 (31.1%) resorts dump and another 20 (25.9%) resorts even burn the dry  waste.  A majority of the resorts i.e. 52 (67.5%) use pits ( soktas ) to dispose off wet  waste.

25.  There are 185 Managers working in these resorts/hotels. Out of these 125  (67.5%) are locals, 133 (71.8%) trained and 36 (19.4%) have qualification from  hospitality institute.   The staff strength of these resorts/hotels is 1779, out of which 1423 (79.9%) are  locals, 899 (50.5%) are trained and only 14 (0.78%) are qualified from some  hospitality institute.  There are 33 naturalists working with resorts out of which only 02 are qualified.  26.  In the case of community service, 19 (24.6%) resorts/ hotels claim that they  undertake some conservation projects, 17 (22%) participate in educational  projects mostly by giving donations to schools and another 17 (22%) contribute  in some of the local projects.

27.  Room tariff of these resorts/hotels varies from Rs. 200/- to Rs. 20,999/-. As there  is business for 6 months only their rates fluctuate very much.

28.  General standards of hygiene, sanitation and upkeep of most of the resorts/ hotels  ranges from OK to Good bearing a few.

29.  Regarding eco friendliness of these resorts/ hotels/ lodges/ camps/ guest houses  situated in and near Corbett National Park-   Only 8 (10.3%) resorts/ hotels claim to have eco friendly building.  19 (24.6%) resorts/ hotels have energy Management System.  Only 4 (5.1%) resorts/ hotels have Water Recycling System.  10 (12.9%) resorts/ hotels use recycled material.  26 (33.7%) resorts/ hotels train their staff for eco friendliness.  Only 20 (25.9%) resorts/ hotels have written guidelines for the tourists or their  staff.

AREAS OF CONCERN

There are some camps/ resorts/ hotels e.g. Camp wild Adventure in Ringoda , Jim Jungle  Retreat in Dhela , Camp Fork Tail Creek in Bhakrakhot etc. which are operating with no or  minimum damage to the environment and wild life. They are taking all eco friendly measures  to protect eco system of the area.   On the other hand most of the hotels/ resorts are just operating for commercial purposes and  not taking care of the wild life and environment.  After collecting data from hotels/ resorts, observation made by the survey team and having  interactions with concerned people, the following areas of concern have been identified by  the survey team-

01. Construction of Building

71.4% existing hotels/ resorts are concrete structures and most of the resorts under  constructed are also of the same type.  Felling of trees, consuming agricultural or forest land and use of non eco friendly  material in the construction of these are causing a serious threat to the environment as  well as wild life.

02. Blocking of Corridor area

Mushrooming of resorts from Ramnagar to Mohan has blocked 35 km. stretch of wild  life moment from park to Kosi river.

03. Heavy Vehicular Traffic -

As there are almost 100 hotels/ resorts and all of them having their personal and  commercial vehicles and most of the tourists coming to the area are also mobile, the vehicular traffic near Corbett National Park is increasing day by day.  According to information provided by resort managers and gypsy/ taxi drivers, there are 250 to 300 private gypsies operating in the area during the season.  These large numbers of vehicles are contributing to

a.  air pollution

b.  noise pollution

c.  hindrance in the movement of animals

d.  invasion of the privacy of animals

e.  increased possibilities of accidents

f.  even over-charging the tourist

04. No proper Waste Disposal

Majority of the hotels/ resorts (62%) do not segregate waste as dry and wet waste or  biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.   These hotels/ resorts claim that they dispose off dry/ paper/ plastic waste by dumping  at Ramnagar Municipal dumping site or by selling it to kabari-wala but it is observed  by the survey team that most of the hotels are just throwing the waste in any vacant  space or corners and some of the hotels even burning this waste near river side.     The hotels/ resorts across Kosi and Ramganga rivers claim that they have pits ( soktas )  / tanks for wet waste but it was observed by the survey team that some of these  hotels/ resorts are disposing wet waste into the rivers only. These hotels are disposing  even chemically treated water from swimming pool to the river.

This again contributing to

a.  air pollution

b.  water pollution

c.  unhygienic & poor sanitary conditions

d.  health risk for the animals and aquatic life

e.  health risk for the locals.

05. Loud Music/ DJ parties

Barring few hotels and resorts, most of these are organizing parties with DJ or loud  music in open. Wood Castle hotel in Garjia , for the example, was organizing 3-day  music extravaganza during the survey.

This leads to

a.  noise pollution

b.  disturbance to the privacy of wild life

c.  creating panic amongst animals

d.  cultural conflict with the villagers.

06. Lighting during nights

Some of the hotels/ resorts have erected large electronic boards and signages which  are illuminated during the night.

The excessive use of lights during night causes

a.  distraction in the movement of the wild life

b.  disturbance in the sleep of the animals & birds

c.  nuisance to natural beauty.

07.  Water supply

All of the hotels except which are located in Ramnagar where the Municipal Water supply exists, are depending upon bore well, river or springs as a source of water  supply.  The water from bore well and river is being contaminated by the waste water drained  into pits ( soktas ) or river.

This may be causing

a.  health risk to wild life

b.  health risk to locals

c.  soil infertile.

08.  Licensing

It seems that there is no controlling authority as more and more number of hotels/  resorts are coming up in the area. It is evident with the fact that in last 5 years 50 new  hotels or resorts have been started. There are 22 new resorts are being constructed or  planned to start operations during 2010.  Looking at the mushrooming of these resorts in the area, it seems that permission for  change of land use and clearing of building designs and construction, and licenses  from municipal council, police, fire and health department are not being properly  used.

09. Wired Fencing

Some of the resorts have wired or cemented fencing which may cause injuries to the  wild life during their movement specially across river.

10. Camp Fire

Almost all the resorts are using camp fire for the tourists. The source of wood, as per  their claim, is local market, villagers etc. Only one resort (Camp Fork Tail Creek,  Bhakrakhot ) is using wood as fuel in the kitchen which they say buying from forest  department.

The burning of wood leads to

a.  air pollution

b.  health hazards

c.  risk of fire

d.  illegal cutting or pruning of tress.

11. Fishing

Illegal fishing and angling is being done in the area. It is found by the survey team  that in one resort (Infinity), tourists are being charged Rs. 75/- to show mahasheer

fish.

12.  Case of Resort at Jamund

There is one resort- Hideaway Riverside owned by Leisure group of hotels located at  Jamund. The status of this resort is supposed to be controversial.  It is claimed by the resort manager (available at the time of survey) that it is on  village land while according to officials this resort is within the park area.  The approach road to the resort is through Durga Devi entrance of the park. The road  is up to Ramganga river and after that the resort people have made their own road.  Every person or vehicle has to cross river as there is no bridge.

Near the river some area is cleaned and locals say that there is planning to construct a  new resort.

13. Case of Dhikala

No Smoking Zone

Dhikala , undoubtly the best place within park for tourism point of view, is a No  Smoking Zone but tourists and locals were smoking without any hitch as observed by  the survey team. 

Garbage Dump

It seems that the park authorities are not taking proper care in garbage disposal. A  dump of garbage containing plastic wrappers, bottles etc. was noticed by the survey  team near toilet block of dormitory.

Speed of Gypsies

During the stay of survey team at Dhikala over speeding of safari jeeps was noticed.

14. No claim for the tourists

One area which has to be looked for tourists’ point of view is their safety. Park  authority started a scheme to convert private gypsies into taxis few years back but  only 15-16 operators converted their vehicles into taxis. Rest of the private gypsies  about 250* or so are being used to ferry tourists or for safari purpose.   (* Actual data of this may be collected from concerned state body)  In the case of any accident or mis-happening, no tourists can claim any damages from  these private operators.

Secondly, mostly of the resorts across river the touristsare allowed to take bath in the  river and resorts organize camp fire and music to entertain the tourist on the bank of  river. This is a great risk to the tourists and wild life also.

RECOMMENDATION & SUGGESTIONS

Keeping in mind the objective of audit/ survey, the team gives the following  recommendations or suggestions-

01.  Ban on Construction of the Concrete Buildings

There must a blanket ban on the construction of cemented buildings in the area.

02.  The number of vehicles in the area may be restricted

a.  There must be luxury bus/ Volvo service from Delhi etc. in order to reduce the  private cars used by the tourists to reach National Park.

b.  The frequency of train service to Ramnagar and availability of luxury births in  trains should be increased.

c.  Private gypsies operating in the area may be counseled to convert their vehicles  into taxis with proper license and insurance.

d.   The number of these taxis should be limited.

e.  Some kind of pre-paid system for the taxis/ gypsies should be encouraged.

03.  Waste Disposal

A. Ramnagar Municipal Council or other concerned local authority should  develop a system of garbage collection and disposal.

a.  This body should collect the dry and wet/ kitchen waste from all the  resorts/ hotels daily.

b.  The dry waste may be disposed at one particular dumping site or recycled.

c.  The kitchen waste should be used as fodder or in the preparation of  compost/ manure.

d.  The resorts/ hotels may be charged for garbage collection and recycled  material and manure could be sold by the body.

B. A drainage system may be developed by the Municipal Body specially on the  river side and a water treatment plant can be installed to treat & recycle waste  water.

Alternative : The resorts/ hotels may be encouraged to install water treatment  plants before disposing. The state bodies may provide technical and financial  assistance to the owners.

04. Ban on playing music/ DJ parties

Stringent ban on playing music, organizing concerts, conferences, DJ parties in open  should be implemented.

05. Ban on Plastic Bags, Plastic water bottles etc.

06. Ban of Lighting during nights and on Electronic Boards

The illumination of buildings during nights and use of electronic signages/ boards  should be stopped. A policy may me framed to use only simple boards and signages.

07. Water Supply

A number of resorts/ hotels are situated on river belt running parallel to the main road  (NH 121). A pipe line may be laid by the Municipal body for at least these resorts/  hotels, if possible.

08. Fencing of Resorts

The resorts/ hotels may be asked to use only temporary or fragile or shrub fencing  instead of cemented or brick one.

09. Ban on Activities/ Event Management

Activities such as camp fire, angling, concerts etc. should be banned and ban should be implemented strictly.

10.  Eco Awareness Drive

Although Forest Department, Uttarakhand Tourism and some NGOs are conducting  eco-awareness drives but a little more emphasis should be given to educate locals,  people working in tourism sectors in the area and tourists visiting the park in respect  of eco-friendliness, protection of environment and conservation of wild life.   The resorts/ hotels may be involved in social, community and environment oriented  programmes and may be encouraged to contribute in the service of society, local  community and conservation of flora and fauna of the area.

11. Awarding the most eco-friendly resort/ hotel

Some kind of Awards may be announced by Ministry of Tourism (GOI), Uttarakhand  Tourism or Forest Department for the most eco friendly resort/ hotel for the  contribution in protection and conservation of environment and wild life.

12. Audit / Survey of other National Parks/ Reserves

Similar audit/ survey of other 5 National Parks/ Reserves may also be conducted to  frame guidelines.

The following is a report on the findings of a study conducted by Mahseer Conservancy in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India on the status of Golden Mahseer populations in the Ramganga River and investigations into possible reasons for their apparent decline. The research was conducted during a 6 week period in March and April 2010.

The golden mahseer occurs across the Himalayas and inhabits the streams and rivers that drain the lower Himalayan terrain. The large surface area of its fins, cylindrical body and muscular tail are adapted to suit the montane water environments in which it lives. These are characterised by steep gradients, a high rate of flow, high oxygen content and cold, clear waters. The golden mahseer is a migratory fish that moves upstream into smaller tributaries and feeder streams in the monsoon for spawning. These streams serve as fresh feeding grounds and appropriate sites for depositing their spawn. The mature adults descend back down to the larger rivers after the rains leaving the fry and juveniles in the more suitable, shallower waters that have a lower flow rate.

It has been widely documented that golden mahseer populations are declining across India but comprehensive studies with data to confirm these trends are largely lacking. The species was categorised as endangered by the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources in 1992 but a combination of human impacts are contributing to their continued demise. These include:

1. Altering of habitat and impediment of migration through the construction of dams.
2. Killing of fry, fingerlings and brood fish through the use of indiscriminate fishing methods such as dynamiting, electrocution and poisoning.
3. Destruction of habitat and seasonal spawning grounds caused by siltation resulting from mining, pollution and water extraction.
4. Reduction of habitat caused by water extraction and global warming.

The Golden Mahseer is particularly vulnerable due to the specific environmental conditions needed to feed and spawn successfully and its relatively low fecundity rate. The declining trend in their numbers is therefore cause for great alarm and widespread conservation initiatives are needed immediately to safeguard the future of the species.

Study Area

The study area is a 15km stretch of the Ramganga River up and downstream of Bhikyasain, Almora district, between the points +29° 40′ 9.96″N +79° 13′ 58.62″E and +29° 47′ 6.36″N +79° 14′ 50.10″E. 

Satellite map of study area 

The Ramganga originates from the high altitude zone of the Doodhatoli ranges in the district of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakand. The river then runs south west through scattered villages and agricultural land for 140km before entering the Corbett National Park. Downstream of the protected area the river meanders another 300km before draining into the Ganges near Farrukhabad, Utter Pradesh.

The Ramganga is the lifeblood of the Corbett National Park and is largest of the precious few perennial sources of water in the protected area. The park was established in 1936 and protects an immense diversity of flora and fauna including, of course, the critically endangered Bengal Tiger. In 1974 the park was chosen as the location to launch Project Tiger and now, due to the thick jungle forest and rich diversity of species supported by the Ramganga, hosts one of the highest Tiger densities in the world.  The river also provides crucial habitat other important and threatened species such as the endangered gharial, mugger crocodiles, otters, turtles, a multitude of bird species as well as the fast declining golden mahseer.

The study area is located approximately 20km north of Corbett National Park but despite the short distance it is in stark contrast to the pristine ecosystem of the protected area.  Destructive human activities such as sand mining, over extraction of water and indiscriminate fishing using dynamite, electrocution and bleaching are degrading the river ecosystem and decimating fish species such as the golden mahseer. The river resources of the area are controlled by the Forest Department but currently no patrols are being carried out to monitor the river and nothing is in place to stop the damage being done.

Furthermore, the golden mahseer is a migratory fish that travels great distances upstream to spawn in smaller streams and tributaries during the monsoon rains. This means that although healthy populations of the species are protected in the Jim Corbett National Park these fish still have to run the gauntlet of traveling through the heavily degraded, highly populated section of river in order to get to and from their seasonal spawning grounds. Therefore, the success of the sanctuaries downstream will be undone unless the intense fishing pressure upstream is successfully managed, especially during the migration periods.

There are a few isolated sanctuaries along this stretch of river alongside temples where fish are protected from all fishing methods. The absolute respect of these areas by the locals means that patrols are not needed and fish populations thrive. These populations attract angling tourism to the area, providing lucrative revenue for the temples. 

Project Aim

‘To assess the threat of damaging human activities to the status of Golden Mahseer populations in the 15km study stretch of Ramganga River, Almora district.’

The aim of the report is to assess the abundance and distribution of golden mahseer populations in the river and identify threats to these populations in order to make informed decisions on how best to protect the species and methods for effective conservation. It is hoped that conservation initiatives started in this area can be used as an example and replicated throughout the subcontinent.

OBJECTIVE 1: Assess the status of Golden Mahseer populations in the study area.

Fish were sampled during a 6 week period in March and April 2010. Sampling was carried out using a traditional cast net with a mesh size of 2cmx2cm. The 15km study area was split into 500m segments, in each segment 2 hours were allotted to make 100 casts.

Fish caught were identified, measured, weighed and photographed before being returned to the water. Morphometric characteristics such as total length, head length, body depth, weight and number of scales along the lateral line were recorded for size class determination and identification confirmation.

Environmental characteristics were also recorded at 100m intervals. When correlated with the fish sampling data this would show which conditions mahseer populations were favouring in the river. The main habitat parameters measured were water speed (fast, medium, slow), water depth (cm), turbidity (high, medium, low), vegetation (yes, no), and substratum (bedrock (> 50 cm), boulders (25-50 cm), pebbles (6-25 cm), coarse and fine gravels (0.2 to 6 cm), and sand/silt (< 0.2)).

The river mainly oscillated between fast flowing, shallow rapids and deep, slow flowing pools. Turbidity of the water was recorded to be clear in every location and vegetation was present in the majority of locations. The substratum of the river bed varied along the river with larger rocks and boulders more common in fast flowing sections and gravel, sand and silt more common in the slow-flowing pools.

5 species of fish were recorded during the sampling period. The percentage of the species of fish sampled was: Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) – 14%, Rohu (Labeo dero) – 74%, Gotyla (Garra gotyla) – 5%, Barred Baril (barilius barila) – 5%.

                            Chart showing the percentages of species sampled

The results show that rohu greatly outnumbered golden mahseer. Rohu favoured shallow, fast-flowing rapids whereas the golden mahseer were exclusively caught in the deeper pools that were under the protection of temples. The lack of golden mahseer caught suggests that their populations are threatened, however, it could be due to the limitations of the sampling method. The mesh size on the cast net was too large to catch smaller sized fish and where the depth of water was greater than 1m the cast net became ineffective. This meant that shallow rapids were the areas where the cast net was most effective, conditions favoured by the rohu.

In order to overcome these problems an observational approach was also adopted which was possible due to the clarity of the water. Observations were made for 30 minutes at 100m intervals along the study area. We noted that golden mahseer were absent for large stretches of the river. Fish of more than 2kg were exclusively found in the protected areas alongside temples where dynamite is prohibited.  High densities of golden mahseer were seen in these sanctuaries, notably at Senala Temple and Kadar Bridge.

The failure to catch any mahseer outside the protected areas, backed up by observational studies, suggests that fishing pressure is having a huge impact on mahseer populations forcing them to find sanctuary in isolated pools next to temples.

OBJECTIVE 2: Investigate damaging human activities in the study area and their possible impact on Golden Mahseer populations.  

Investigations were carried out by making observations along the river and recording any human disturbance that was occurring. This was backed up by extensive interviews with local people, photographs and video recordings.

Mahseer is a highly valued food fish in this locality and the fishing pressure was found to be acute in order to meet the demand. The main method of catching fish is the use of explosives such as dynamite. More traditional fishing methods such as cast nets, snares and catching fish with hands are also widely used. Electrocution from high powered, overhead cables were mentioned to be used in interviews but this method was not witnessed during the study period.

                      Boys with 7 Rohu and 1 Golden Mahseer caught using dynamite near Bhikyasain

Dynamite is a common and hugely destructive method of fishing used on the river. Explosions were heard 14 times during the study period and witnessed 6 times. During interviews many people said dynamite was being used every day all along the river. The fishing method is not selective; it kills everything within the vicinity of the blast. Fry, fingerlings and other aquatic species are often part of the discarded by-catch. On the 8^th of March a boy fishing downstream of Bhikasain said that a turtle was killed earlier that morning by mistake when a group was fishing using the explosive.  When surveying a deep pool below the village of Naula a woman commented that our efforts were pointless as dynamite was used in the pool every day and there were no longer any fish left.

During the monsoon the larger mature adult mahseer migrate upstream to spawn. These fish are targeted using dynamite, electrocution and nets. When interviewed Birendra Rawat from Bhikiasain claimed that during the monsoon he eats mahseer for lunch and dinner every day. This demonstrates that the success of the sanctuaries downstream will be undone unless the intense fishing pressure upstream is successfully managed, especially during the migration periods. This view was shared by Misty Dhillon, owner of Himalayan Outback near Marchula ‘The protected areas will not be effective unless something is done about the slaughtering of mahseer when they migrate to breed’  

The extraction of sand, gravel and rocks used for building materials is occurring intensively along this stretch of river. Not only is this scarring the river landscape, it also disrupts the natural river ecosystem and will potentially contaminate the local water supply. Clear, fast-flowing and rocky waters are essential for the mahseer to thrive and any changes to these conditions disrupt the fish’s ability to feed and breed successfully. Therefore, siltation of the river caused by mining could potentially have disastrous consequences for the survival of the mahseer. Furthermore, widespread reduction of river levels in the area caused by global warming and over extraction of water exasperates siltation, the effects of which are already being noticed. Chris Summers, an angling guide in the area commented that ‘the water is definitely murkier. In past years it was crystal clear, you could count the pebbles in 6ft of water, now you can’t’.  

15% of the locations observed in the study had some sort of mining activity taking place. In several locations sand was being extracted on a large scale to be sold commercially in the market. Mining was particularly intensive on the Gagas River, a tributary of the Ramganga that runs through Bhikasain. Here, families were mining sand from the river bed every day for jeeps and lorries to collect and transport to the market. This was dramatically altering the natural flow of the river and caused a crater effect with banks of discarded gravel and pools of stagnant water. 40kg of sand was being sold for 20 rupees.  

MAJOR FINDINGS OF OBJECIVES 1 & 2

1. Fishing pressure on the study area is intense.
2. Dynamite is being used extensively on the river, decimating golden mahseer populations.
3. Dynamite produces a large unwanted by-catch including fry, fingerlings and other aquatic wildlife such as turtles.
4. Remaining fish populations are found in small, isolated sections that are protected by temples.
5. The river is not being patrolled to monitor illegal fishing methods.
6. Sand, gravel and rock extraction is occurring intensively along the river to be sold commercially or used personally for construction and repairs.
7. The Gagas River in Bhikyasain is being severely degraded due to sand mining. 40kg bags of sand are being sold commercially for 20 rupees.

PROPOSED ACTION PLAN

• Discuss major findings and issues with village heads and concerned parties.
• Highlight areas suitable for the creation of sanctuaries.
• Hand over beats to villages headed and represented by Van-Panchayats.
• Enforce the ban on dynamite with patrolling guards.
• Start angling-based eco-tourism where licenses are issued by respective villages and guests hosted in family houses

Angling tourism has been successfully implemented as a conservation tool downstream of the study area and it is hoped that this model can be replicated. If the money generated by tourism reaches the local population it provides a clear financial incentive to conserve the fish. It is hoped that by focusing on the golden mahseer as a key species implementing measures to protect and restore its habitat, it will have a positive knock-on effect for the rest of the threatened local wildlife.

The Ramganga River that runs alongside the Jim Corbett National Park is pristine. Casually peering into the river you will inevitably see swarms of golden mahseer darting around in the clear water hunting for small Chilwa. Look along the bank and you may see an Otter swimming in the shallows or a Gharial basking in the sun, point your head skywards and you’ll likely see a flock of Cormorants and perhaps a fish eagle soaring overhead. It is a complete river ecosystem. However, this reality is in stark contrast to the same river just 20km upstream where damaging human activities are severely altering the river landscape and putting a huge strain on the local wildlife.  

During a month period in March 2010, with the support of Sumantha Ghosh founder and president of Mahseer Conservancy and guidance from Dr.Shiv Kumar of The Wildlife Institute of India, I conducted an investigation into the effect human activities were having on the populations of golden mahseer on a 15km section of the Ramganga River up and downstream of Bhikiasain,

Almora.  

We found that there are two major threats to the already dwindling golden mahseer populations. The first is the destruction of habitat and seasonal spawning grounds caused by mining, water extraction and pollution. The second, more direct threat is the killing of fry, fingerling and adult mahseer through the use of indiscriminate fishing methods such as dynamiting, electrocution, netting and snares all of which were found to be widespread. 

The extraction of sand, gravel and rocks used for building materials is occurring intensively along this stretch of river. Not only is this scarring the river landscape, it also disrupts the natural river ecosystem and will potentially contaminate the local water supply. Clear, fast-flowing and rocky waters are essential for the mahseer to thrive and any changes to these conditions disrupt the fish’s ability to feed and breed successfully. Therefore, siltation of the river caused by mining could potentially have disastrous consequences for the survival of the mahseer. Furthermore, widespread reduction of river levels in the area caused by global warming and over extraction of water exasperates siltation, the effects of which are already being noticed. Chris Summers, an angling guide in the area commented that ‘the water is definitely murkier. In past years it was crystal clear, you could count the pebbles in 6ft of water, now you can’t’.  

15% of the locations observed in the study had some sort of mining activity taking place. In several locations sand was being extracted on a large scale to be sold commercially in the market. Mining was particularly intensive on the Gages River, a tributary of the Ramganga that runs through Bhikyasain. Here, families were mining sand from the river bed every day for jeeps and lorries to collect and transport to the market. This was dramatically altering the natural flow of the river and caused a crater effect with banks of discarded gravel and pools of stagnant water.  

Not only will the mahseer be affected by the reduced clarity levels, the river water on which so many people depend will be of lower quality and may become undrinkable. Water shortages are already prevalent and this will only add to the vulnerability of the area. 

Mahseer is a highly valued food fish in this locality and the fishing pressure is acute in order to meet the demand. Dynamite is a common and hugely destructive method of fishing used on the river. The fishing method is not selective; it kills everything within the vicinity of the blast. On the 8^th of March a boy fishing downstream of Bhikyasain said that a turtle was killed earlier that morning by mistake when a group was fishing using the explosive. When surveying a deep pool in below the village of Naula a woman commented that our efforts were pointless as dynamite was used in the pool every day and there were no longer any fish left. The survey found that the densities of golden mahseer were very low along the 15km of Ramganga with the exception of a few small sanctuaries next to temples. In these isolated areas where the killing of fish is prohibited fish of all species find refuge and are found in large numbers. These protected pools at Senala Temple and Kadar Bridge attract angling tourism which practices catch-and-release, providing a lucrative income for the temples. Chris Summers commented that this had been his most successful year to date catching mahseer at Senela Temple but was hesitant to attribute this to an increase in population suggesting it was most likely a case of improved baits, tackle and methods used.  

The golden mahseer is a migratory fish that travels great distances upstream to spawn in smaller streams and tributaries during the monsoon rains. This means that although healthy populations of the species are protected in the Jim Corbett National Park these fish still have to run the gauntlet of travelling through the heavily degraded, highly populated section of river in order to get to and from their seasonal spawning grounds. Many of these fish don’t make it, when interviewed Birendra Rawat from Bhikiasain claimed that during the monsoon he eats mahseer for lunch and dinner every day. This demonstrates that the success of the sanctuaries downstream will be undone unless the intense fishing pressure upstream is successfully managed, especially during the migration periods. This view was shared by Misty Dhillon, owner of Himalayan Outback near Marchula ‘The protected areas will not be effective unless something is done about the slaughtering of mahseer when they migrate to breed’  

It cannot be denied that the golden mahseer is one of the most magnificent fish that inhabit the fresh waters of India. It is the official fish of Uttarakhand and anglers from across the globe travel to the state in the hope of catching ‘the hardest fighting of fresh water species’. The fish can grow to 6 feet in length, in excess of 50kg and while the distinctive golden colours and elegantly streamlined body account for its beauty, the clear, fast flowing waters in which it lives can be reason for its brute power. Indeed, Jim Corbett was passionate about the species and wrote that fishing for the golden mahseer is ‘the most fascinating of all field sports’. Angling tourism has been successfully implemented as a conservation tool downstream of the study area and it is hoped that this model can be replicated. If the money generated by tourism reaches the local population it provides a clear financial incentive to conserve the fish.  It is hoped that by focusing on the golden mahseer as a key species implementing measures to protect and restore its habitat will have a positive knock-on effect for the rest of the threatened local wildlife.

To this end, SAHAR invited representatives of government mini stries and institutions working in the environmental and natural resources sectors, international and national non-governmental organisations, academia, and members of the press.

Arun Rana, SAHAR secretary, opened the seminar with a brief round up of SAHAR’s mission and the threats to fish species in Nepal, including the irrational methods of fishing employed in Nepal today and the impact of sand and gravel excavation. His presentation focused particularly on the neglect of aquatic conservation in Nepal, and constituted a call to arms to all those who care for our natural heritage.

A selection of speakers then presented their findings on various aspects of aquatic conservation relevant to Nepal. Dr Tek Bahadur Gurung, with the Livestock and Fisheries Research Directorate at the Nepal Agricultural Research Council, spoke about Nepal’s experience of using native fish hatcheries to stock rivers. The incredible success of the Kali Gandaki Hatchery, which has released over 4 million fish fingerlings into the wild, is a rare success story that SAHAR hopes to replicate on different scales in the rivers and lakes of Nepal. Dr Gurung’s presentation sparked a lively debate on the appropriateness of fish ladders or hatcheries to mitigate the impacts of hydraulic engineering works on local fish diversity and movement.

Prof Dr Jiwan Shrestha of NAST outlined the considerable aquatic biodiversity of Nepal, where an estimated 205 species of fish have been identified. Dr Shrestha not only drew attention to the sheer diversity of fish in Nepal’s water bodies, but also noted their economic importance – including the value of specific species for the table, and for ornamental, recreational, larvicidal and medicinal purposes. She also explained the threats to this diversity, citing the example of the  Kathmandu Valley, where fish species in the Bagmati have dwindled from 35 two decades ago to just 2 in recent times. She concluded by outlining conservation strategies.

Prof Dr Tej Kumar Shrestha of Tribhuvan University focused on the habitats and ecology of the migratory species of the Himalayan rivers. In particular, he dwelt on the several species of mahseer, a highly prized and increasingly rare gamefish. Mahseer is known as Sahar in Nepal, and in fact SAHAR is named after this renowned fish. In the course of Dr Shrestha’s presentation, it became clear that the loss of this magnificent species would not only dent the viability of our riverine ecosystems, but also deprive future generations of the opportunity to witness, as hunter-conservation Jim Corbett put it, the ‘tiger of the water’.

SN Ogale, a former consultant to Tata Power Company and World Bank, then highlighted the success of conserving mahseer at Lonavla Lakes, India. In an absorbing presentation, Mr Ogale detailed the decades-long endeavor to raise mahseer fingerlings to maturity in small ponds using improved methods of aquaculture at the mahseer farm operated by Tata Power. The success of the project has led to the revival of mahseer fisheries in India (including through direct supply of mahseer eggs from Lonavla), and also proves that large corporations can contribute directly to the public good in sectors outside of their commercial mandate.

Mahseer Conservancy’s Nicola Addison and Sumantah Ghosh followed with a presentation on successful wildlife tourism as practiced in the Western Ramganga River in Uttarakhand, India, where similar problems of overfishing were overcome through a tripartite agreement in 2005 between the host community, government, and private entrepreneurs. With extensive involvement of locals – who were trained and employed as guides by Mahseer Conservancy – a catch and release policy was instituted that has attracted anglers to a low-impact lodge on the Ramganga, Riverine Woods, and others. This model, which could be replicated in Nepal, benefits not just the mahseer and other fish species, but also the local community.

SAHAR’s efforts will only take root if it receives the support of those working in the field of aquatic conservation. Key partners are the traditional fishing communities of Nepal. Dhan Bahadur Majhi, Chairperson of the Central Committee of the Nepal Majhi Upliftment Society, highlighted the problems faced by his impoverished community. In a heartfelt presentation, Mr Majhi lamented the loss of culture that has accompanied the devastation wrought upon Nepal’s rivers and lakes by over harvesting, unsustainable modes of fishing, and habitat loss. While the Majhi community is not in any way opposed to development, this presentation made it clear they are rooted in the natural heritage we all claim as ours. Any measures to protect this heritage, therefore, should draw upon the traditional knowledge and expertise of the fishing communities of  Nepal.

Ravi Man Singh, President of SAHAR, concluded the seminar with a round-up of the issues raised by the seminar participants. He reiterated the immense importance of Nepal’s aquatic biodiversity, the threats it currently faces, and the need to raise a critical mass of awareness to forge partnerships and involve the marginalized fishing communities of Nepal to conserve the fish of Nepal. Citing the commendable work of Tata Power Company in Lonavla, he opined that commercial hydropower developers can and should play a positive role in conservation efforts. Lastly, he pointed out that the technology for artificial captive breeding of many of Nepal’s fish species has already been successfully demonstrated by the Fisheries Department in Nepal. This offers the opportunity to revive fish stocks in Nepal’s rivers through restocking efforts, and creates opportunities for promoting sustainable angling tourism that could make a significant contribution to alleviating poverty in Nepal.

I looked around and saw that there were many small holes on the short wall for air and assumed that the snake must have entered in the hut from one of these holes. The hut was near an irrigation canal and the snake must have come from this to the hut as the distance is hardly 40-50 feet. They also said that they saw the snakes in past few days in the irrigation canal. I tried to bag the snake with the help of the equipment that I made but the angry and disturbed snake was not ready to go in the PVC pipe. It was quite difficult also due to small and dark hut. A disturbed King Cobra which is around 10 feet with an attacking range of 3 feet is not easy to handle in such a small hut. After several unsuccessful attempts I decided to get the snake out of the hut in open area. It was not difficult to bring the snake out from the hut and it came out easily. The moment the king cobra came out it started running fast to another house nearby. I went with a big log and lift it in the air so that it cannot enter another house. In this whole episode the snake became angrier and tried to attack more aggressively. I asked for a big basket which I got immediately and then with the help of the log allowed the snake to go under it.

The snake felt relaxed under the basket in dark as it was not moving. After this I asked to bring 3-4 bucket water and poured it over the basket to make the snake calm. Luckily I got some cold water also which helped further to make it calm. The next thing was to bag the snake in a sac which was with me after a little delay. But this was good as the snake was resting under the basket during this time delay. I asked one of the courageous guys to hold the wide open sack with the help of a long bamboo. I lifted the basket with the help of the log and saw that the snake was calm now. I removed the basket completely and asked the fellow to hold the sack. Now the snake was also cooperating with us and was not moving much. I lifted the king cobra with the log high in the air and moved it into the open sack. The snake went in without much effort and we tied the mouth of the sack with the help of a rope. The snake was safely bagged and everybody around was relaxed. By this time forest staff was also there and I asked them where to release the snake. I was told that the snake has to be released in the Dhikala zone of Park.

Since the place was a bit far and we had to go in a vehicle to the point of release I asked for a bucket with half filled with water so that I can keep the snake in it to keep it cool during the time of transfer. We took the snake to a place called Sajgadi Sot (stream) as this is a kind of habitat which king cobra likes. We released the snake a little far from the road where there was some water. Just after the release it went fast towards the water.

This is the third incident where a king cobra entered a human settlement in last five years and luckily this was also rescued and released safely back into their natural habitat. What good thing I have observed in such cases people are more aware now about snakes and instead of killing snakes they call for help and report it to forest department or other people about this.

Though the habitat these snakes live is normally far from humans but there have been some cases in the recent years where the king was found close to humans. I remember two incidents where I had a close encounter with this mighty snake. First it was in the month of October 2004 and second was April 2009. In both cases the king entered human habited areas. These incidents took place in village Dhikuli which is situated next to Corbett Park and on the other side it has Kosi River which divides it from Ramnagar Forest Division. Having in between these two perfect habitats many times the villagers come across wild animals and keep sighting small and big game. But it happens seldom that they come across the King Cobra.

In the first incident I got information in the morning hours of 7^th October 2004 by one of the villager that a snake has entered into the mango tree next to their house and most probably it is cobra. I left to the site with my friend Murray Lewis immediately. We saw the snake and were surprised to see that it was not a common one but a King Cobra and what surprised me was that the people were not taking the snake seriously. There were about 50 people around, the majority of them children. I saw that it was about 9 – 10 feet long snake. I removed the children from the area and ask all not to harm the snake. While all this was going on, the Cobra was lying on the top branch of the tree, looking down.

People were trying everything they could do to get the snake down. A few were shaking the tree and a few said that throwing water on the snake would force it to come down, but this was not successful. Suddenly a person lit a few fragrance sticks below the tree and started blowing Sankh (all due to religious beliefs as snakes are worshipped in Hindu religion) but that too failed. The next thing we did was to make a hook like structure to help us to get the snake down, hopefully without injuring it. At one point we almost managed to get it down but at the last moment the hook broke and the snake again went up into the tree. The problem here was that all the trees were connected with each other and there were houses around them. The cobra was able to move from tree to tree.

Finally, after the exhausting task of more then 2 hours, we managed to pull the snake down with the help of the hook, hopefully without injuring it. As soon as the snake landed on the ground it went into a small drainpipe, one end of which was closed with wire mesh. Now, the next challenge was to get the snake out of the drain! We removed the wire mesh but Cobra refused to come out. We put a sack on one end and tried to smoke the snake out, but still it remained in the pipe. Finally we poured water down the pipe and the Cobra came out. Now it was a challenge to drive the snake into an area, which would be safer for both humans and the snake. We decided to catch the snake and release it in the forest. I held the tail of the cobra keeping in mind how fatal the bite could be for me.  We droved the snake into the canal, which was luckily dry. Now it was easy to catch it. While the snake had been in the drainpipe, Murray had prepared a tool to hold the snake with the help of a stick and some wire. I asked for a sack and with the help of the tool managed to direct the snake into the sack. As the Cobra entered the sack, I jumped into the canal and closed the mouth of the sack and pushed the sake into the sack as quickly as I could have done. Once the cobra was inside, I tied the mouth of the sack with some rope. 

After a long battle between us we managed to get the deadly animal in control without any casualty to him as well as ourselves, about which I was worried from the starting. We took the snake to the office and estimated that it weighed around 5.5 Kg. Now this was time to release the innocent creature into its natural habitat. We released the Cobra in the forest and thanked him for his “cooperation” in the safe catch and release operation. (Later I was told by one of the leading snake expert not to take such risk with King Cobra in future without proper equipment as it could be dangerous)

The second incident is of 15^th April 2009 where one fellow villager called me that a big snake has entered in a hut. I must say that the laymen is also able to identify snake as they told me that it is also a Cobra (or it could be just a wild guess as most of the people call every black snake a cobra). I arrived at the spot and was amazed to see the crowd outside the hut and majority of which was children and women. It was a small hut used by the owner as kitchen with only one entrance and two small windows like holes. They tried every bit to drive the snake out but the poor fellow was caged in the hut with single entrance and was scared more than angry.

Here also the challenge was to handle the crowd more than the snake. I went in the small hut and was more amazed to see the snake – yes it was a king cobra and was about 16 – 17 feet long snake. The main problem was here that the hut was dark and there was hardly much space to handle such a large snake. Well after a hard work and that too without proper equipment I managed to bring out the snake out of the hut and the poor fellow was also relieved and took no time to disappear into it’s natural home.

These are two cases which increased my interests as well as passion about these reptiles. I learnt that they are one of the most innocent creature on nature and never harm us if we leave them to live in their own habitat. I had some more encounters with venomous as well as non venomous snakes and trust me they never tried to bite me.

Myself, Sumantha Ghosh, and Frederique Lacraz all piled into the jeep early on the morning of the 1^st May 2010 to head towards Kaladhungi, Nainital District, Uttarakhand, where we met a group of forest guards, local snake experts, interested locals, and media.  A trek into the forest brought us out at the picturesque Ladhuagar Water Falls, in Dechauri range of Ramnagar Forest Division, which fall roughly 20 metres over the cliff edge into the pool below.  A scramble over the tumble of fossil rocks at the base of the waterfall brought us to an awesome sight of the twisted, decomposing body of a large animal. 

Further inspection showed that this is what we’d come for – the King of all King Cobras.  It was obvious from first glance that this was a big specimen, but just how big needed to be confirmed.  This was left to Sumantha and Rajesh Panwar, who braved the smell, flies and maggots to get a measurement of the animal using rope and a measuring tape. 

The outcome: 23 feet and 9 inches!

It goes without saying that this makes for a big snake!  Prior to this, the largest known specimen was a King Cobra held at the London Zoo, measuring 18 feet 4 inches.  The average length for a King Cobra is 12 – 14 feet, 10 feet less than the length of the Kaladhungi King Cobra. 

Although the carcass was in an advanced stage of decomposition, the blackish brown diamond shaped scales on the snake’s back, and the creamy white banded belly scales were still apparent.  The belly scales measured as wide as 1 inch!  The head of the snake measured 4 inches, and we measured the diameter at 11 inches, although this can only be taken as a rough estimate given how decomposed the snake was. 

The cause of death was a topic of much conversation.  Given that the carcass was largely decomposed, it was difficult to pin point what killed the snake, but the theories thrown about were that it died of old age, or fell from the surrounding cliffs, or, and hopefully this is not the reason, poisoned.  Whatever the cause of death, this is a loss that is to be mourned. The discovery of such a large King Cobra is not something that happens regularly, and the fact that this is potentially the largest known King Cobra makes it extra special. 

The sheer size of the animal could be an indication of the state of the surrounding forest.  The eastern side of the Kosi River is known for having larger animals than normal – Jim Corbett shot the Bachelor of Powalgarh near here in the 1920′s.  This tiger measured 3.23 metres in length – larger than any other tiger found in the area at that time.  A large animal, like a large tree, is likely to have lived for a long time, and for something to live a long time in the wild means that it has been largely unaffected by humans.  Alternatively, habitat conditions are such that growth of the animals is increased.

King Cobra generally live in dense jungles, where they feed mainly on snakes (all species, including poisonous ones), and occasionally monitor lizards.  It could be said that prey in the area must be numerous and diverse for the snake to have grown to such a size, and, presumably, age.  Likewise, the must be good breeding habitat for the animal.  We could see, in the cliffs surrounding the waterfall, several small caves or overhanging rock, any of which could have provided cover for the King Cobra.

The unfortunate side of this story is that we were not allowed to preserve the body of the snake.  The forest department required that the carcass was cremated in the way that tiger or leopard carcasses are required to be burnt.  This leaves us with no evidence to prove the exact length of the snake, no samples to be used to study this huge beast.  We will now never know the sex of the snake, the girth, the age, the exact length, cause of death, because no evidence, apart from photos, exists.

Despite this, those of us that were there will be forever privileged to have seen this King Cobra. I, for one, am in awe of its size, and even its beauty.  I am now looking forward to seeing more King Cobra during my stay in India – this time preferably alive!