Mangroves saved Bhitarkanika from Amphan fury: Official
The long stretch of mangrove forest flanking Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park stood like a phalanx and defended possible destruction to its ecology by the high-velocity winds of cyclone Amphan that hit the state on May 20.
Sharing details about the phenomenon, Bikash Ranjan Dash, divisional forest officer (DFO), Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, on Saturday said the tropical cyclone triggered huge damage in coastal parts, but it spared Bhitarkanika national park and adjoining hamlets in Kendrapara district because of the lush-green luxuriant mangrove cover acting as protective barrier to nature’s fury.
“It’s because of the thick density of mangrove forest in Bhitarkanika, the flora and fauna of the park were unharmed due to the cyclone. The villages on the close periphery of the park were also saved as the mangrove cover acted as a buffer zone in protecting the human settlements,” the DFO said.
In the 1999 super cyclone, which saw nearly 10,000 people killed in coastal Odisha districts, people near Bhitarkanika were saved even as some wildlife species bore the onslaught of gusty winds. The mangrove, according to experts, is a proven and time-tested natural barrier against tidal surge and cyclones in these parts.
“People in these parts have realised the immense utility value of mangrove forests and are lending a helping hand to the forest department in the conservation of this tidal woodland,” DFO Mr Dash said.
Satchidananda Behera, a local resident, said: “We had heard from our forefathers about the utility of the mangroves in protecting the coastal ecosystem and protecting human beings from sea storms. We experienced it first in the 1999 super cyclone and this time during Amphan.”