THE hoploci rombyx spinicornis, commonly known as the borer pest, is wreaking havoc in the sal forests of two Madhya Pradesh districts—Mandla and Shahdol. And since the entire life cycle of the borer beetle from egg to pupa is played out inside the tree, pesticides are useless. By the time it exits in the form of a full-grown beetle, the sal tree—whose sturdy wood is used for railway sleepers and in buildings—is as good as dead: its bark is scraped off, sap dry and trunk hollow.
The epidemic has reached such proportions that a million sal trees have to be felled. The ravaging beetle even poses a great environmental threat to the famous Kanha National Park in Mandla. "Though the spread of the borer is sporadic in Kanha, it is still a matter of great concern," says K.P. Tiwari, director, Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur. It will not be easy to saw off the borer-infested trees simply because this would involve a large work force and truck traffic—activity which is bound to disturb the wildlife. The Forest Research Institute has come up with an alternate plan: it says the infested trees will be girdled at the height of 5 feet—and left to die. But the state government is first talking to environmentalists before okaying the deal.
The other problem area is at Amar-kantak, the point of origin of the Narmada. Since 70,000 trees have already been felled, the plateau is likely to witness severe soil erosion, triggering ecological imbalances. The only way out is to plant sal saplings to replenish the forests. "The state government has to carry out it's regeneration plan on a war footing. It has already taken the first step by sanctioning huge funds for the purpose," says Tiwari. Opposition leaders, particularly the BJP MLA from Shahdol district, Laloo Singh, is not fully convinced: "We have seen in the past that the government has not always lived up to its promises."
To get rid of the menace, first noticed in June 1995, the forest department launched a unique campaign to kill the beetles. Local tribals were offered 75 paise for each beetle-head they could produce before a designated forest official. In 1996, the locals managed to kill 21,59,769 beetles—it cost the forest department around Rs 16 lakh. Another 1,51,67,938 beetles were similarly ensnared in 1997 at the cost of Rs 1.14 crore. But sadly, even this failed to contain the epidemic. Forest officials also tried out the "trap tree" method. Fresh sap was coated on a felled sal tree and used as a bait; the beetle would invariably fly towards it, and be killed in the process.
When these two ploys failed, forest officials decided to axe the affected trees. "We have already marked more than eight lakh trees for felling. The operation, which was started in September, will continue till April next year," says V.R. Khare, additional principal chief forest conservator, Madhya Pradesh. About 80,000 have already been felled. This is a huge, expensive operation involving nearly 10,000 to 12,000 labourers. The forest staff of the area—400 in strength—are also pitching in.
In response to the hue and cry over the cutting of such a large number of trees, all officials, from the state forest minister to the forest conservator, express their helplessness to deal with the situation. "The borer population has reached such proportions that we are left with no option but to crop the trees," says Anil Oberoi, conservator, Forest Jabalpur Range, who is in charge of the ongoing operation. "We shall remove all those trees where the larvae is present. That is essential to allow the other trees to survive," he adds. State forest minister Shiv Netam also defends the tree-felling but admits that it could take five years to eradicate the pest. "During borer attacks in the past, the administration tackled the pests by cutting off the trees. That seems to be the only way out." Borer pests devastated sal forests of the state first between 1924-1928—according to forest department records, 3,51,589 trees were cut down. The pests resurfaced in 1962 and ravaged the forests for two years. But this time, the attack is worse.
Though forest officials are now pleading helplessness, the question that bothers environmentalists is why the state government allowed the situation to come to such a pass. Couldn't the government do anything to save the slaughter of a million trees, which has upset the ecological balance of the area? Tiwari of the Forest Research Institute admits that "a little negligence has led to such a situation".
The forest institute is now trying to nurture an antidote to the borer beetle—alaus sordidus—to take on the menace. This insect bores into the wood, kills the beetle's pupa and uses the pupal chamber itself. Besides, the state government, perhaps aware of the extent of the damage, has constituted an expert panel, the Sal Borer Disaster Management Committee, comprising forest officials and environmentalists to save the sal forest—at least whatever is left of it.
