सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. Minister for Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi has committed to making arrangements in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year for the re-establishment of the herbal processing center that was previously established but closed in Shankharapur Municipality.
Responding to the queries of the lawmakers in today’s meeting of the House of Representatives, he said that the herbs that are being wasted after the re-establishment of the center will also be used. Minister Shahi informed that preparations are underway for a national adaptation plan. The ministry has made a program to take climate finance to the local level.
He also said that discussions will be held with the concerned bodies to extend the stay of tourists visiting forest-related areas. Minister Shahi said that fire control work is being done through sustainable forest management. Stating that the National Park works by creating fire lines every year, he committed to supporting fire control by creating water ponds and fire pits in the forest.
The ministry has prepared a program to manage the open zoological park being prepared for construction in Tanahun in the next year’s budget. He said that the problem of the buffer zone of the Shivpuri Nagarjuna National Park will be resolved by amending the buffer zone regulations.
Minister Shahi said that the Ministry of Forests and Agriculture is jointly conducting a study to prevent the terror of monkeys and wild boars. He said that even though there is a provision of imprisonment and fine for three years for those who set fires in the forest, it is difficult to find them.
The ministry has prepared a program to discourage wood coming from abroad through sustainable forest management. Minister Shahi said that an agreement has been reached for carbon trading. He said that there has been an increase in forest fires in recent times, causing damage to people and property, negatively impacting the environment, and locals, employees, and security personnel have lost their lives while extinguishing forest fires.
Mentioning that many forest fires occur in Chaitra and Baisakh, Minister Shahi said that the problem has arisen because intensive forest management work has not been carried out in all forests. He said that fires are being set in forests because cultivable land is barren, intentionally set on fire, and to make grass grow. Fires are also being set to drive away wild animals.
Every year, fires occur from Mangsir to Jestha. The ministry has statistics showing that more fires occur in Bagmati Province and fewer in Sudurpaschim Province. One person has died in Karnali this year due to forest fires. Forest fires kill an average of eight people annually.
Minister Shahi informed that a fire between Rasuwa and Nuwakot is coming under control. The fire that started in Bhotekoshi in Sindhupalchowk on Magh 18 has been brought under control. It is reported that a fire has also broken out in the forest in the Mahabharata area of Kavre and has been brought under control.
Work is being done as per the instructions given by the parliamentary committee for fire control. Minister Shahi said that the Ministry in charge of forests of the province has been instructed to make necessary arrangements. The Ministry also stated that the Office in charge of Conservation Areas has been instructed to prevent fires from breaking out and to extinguish them quickly if they break out.
The Fire Control Room of the Forest and Soil Conservation Department has been informed about the incidents of fires occurring across the country and is taking immediate action. A district-level committee has been formed under the leadership of the District Forest Office to control the fire.
In the meeting, MP Madhav Sapkota had asked how the impact of climate change would be managed after the US President announced his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. He also suggested renaming the ministry as Forest, Environment and Climate Change.
MP Ramhari Khatiwada demanded management as the monkey menace has made it impossible to live in the hilly areas. MP Ranendra Barali said that the fire in the Char Koshe bush in Chitwan has affected central Nepal due to smoke and pollution. MP Prem Suwal demanded that arrangements be made for migration only in the district as fires also occur due to migration.
MP Raghuji Panta mentioned that community forest groups are suitable for controlling forest fires and asked what the government’s plan is for this. MP Javed Khatun said that forest fires cause loss of biodiversity and destroy settlements.
MP Deepak Giri mentioned that there is a threat of monkeys and wild boars in Dang district and demanded to solve the problems of the buffer zone. MP Hitraj Pandey asked whether there is such a program now, as ancestors used to build ponds and huts in the forest.
MP Sobita Gautam asked what program is there for large-scale herbal cultivation in Nepal and first demanded to rehabilitate the herbal processing center located in Bajrayogini, Shankharapur. MP Roshan Karki asked whether there is a program to sell billions of rupees worth of wood that has been lost in the forest.
MP Metmani Chaudhary drew attention to the need to solve the problem of fires and buffer zones. MP Buddhiman Tamang said that the problem has arisen because people are given less protection by protecting animals.
MP Sher Bahadur Kunwar asked what kind of public awareness programs have been implemented to prevent fires. MP Sita Mijar asked when the victims of the fire in the Dupcheshwor area of Nuwakot will receive compensation.
MP Nisha Dangi asked what programs are in place to control the conflict between elephants and humans in the Terai region. MP Saraj Ahmed Farooqui asked what the program is for environmental tourism. MP Hari Dhakal asked what the government’s program is in this regard, as forest fires can be prevented by artificial rain.
MP Mahesh Kumar Bartaula asked what the Ministry of Forests’ program is to facilitate the industrial sector. MP Shankar Bhandari asked what is happening now regarding the acquisition of land for open-air zoos in Byas and Bhanu municipalities of Tanahun.
MP Abdul Khan asked when the Ministry of Forests and Environment would formulate a unified law. MP Kusumdevi Thapa demanded that the Ministry of Agriculture, while importing chemical fertilizers, should create a situation where there is no need to rely on fertilizers from abroad by making organic fertilizers in collaboration with the Ministry of Forests.
MP Bina Lama said that since problems have repeatedly arisen in the buffer zone, an integrated solution should be made. MP Amrita Devi Agrahari had asked what plans there are to increase forests. MP Anisha Nepali had asked what programs are there to stop smuggling in the forest.
MP Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has asked what programs are there to solve the problems in the Himalayan region due to excessive melting of glaciers. MP Ram Prakash Chaudhary asked how to manage the process of wood rotting in Nepal and the influx of millions of dollars in wood from abroad. MP Eknath Dhakal said that he is ready to do whatever support the MPs can provide to solve the problems in the forest and environment sectors.
The trio of MPs Ramkrishna Yadav, Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, and Dev Timalsina demanded concrete work to solve the problem of fires as they recur every year. MP Kiran Kumar Sah had questioned what program is in place to manage the problem of wild boars destroying crops and destroying homes in Madhesh Province.
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