The recent rain and floods n the State has left a trail of destruction in the forest areas of the hill district, a major habitat of Asiatic elephants and tiger in the country.
Coupled with landslips, the rain has adversely affected the three forest divisions including the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, South and North Wayanad forest divisions.
Land
The flood and rain had caused a total loss of ₹9.55 crore, department sources said. Close to 48 hectares of forestland including 35 hectares in the North Wayanad and 13 hectares in South Wayanad Forest divisions was washed out in separate landslip incidents inside the forest. Animal losses included death of lower mammals. There was loss of vegetation as huge trees were uprooted in the landslips. An estimated loss of ₹3.6 crore, as per the net per cent value of the forestland as assessed by the department, was incurred in the calamities. The landslips also caused the formation of a lake on two acres of forestland at the Anpathi Moonnam Mile forest under the Begur range of forest in the North Wayanad division.
The largest loss was suffered by the WWS at ₹4.91 crore, followed by the South Wayanad forest division at ₹2.47 crore, and North Wayanad forest division at ₹2.17 crore. Solar power fences erected on 120.5-km stretches of forest fringes in the district to mitigate man-animal conflict were destroyed in the deluge. Also destroyed were 31 km of elephant-proof trenches, and 290.83 km of forest roads, including the 260.83 km inside the sanctuary.
Property damaged
As many as 16 Forest Department buildings including staff quarters, IBs, and forest stations were destroyed after huge trees fell on it, and 89 water holes including check-dams were destroyed in the torrential rain inside the sanctuary.
Ecotourism centres
The rain also adversely affected the functioning of ecotourism centres at Muthanga and Tholpetty under the sanctuary and the the centres incurred an estimated loss of ₹11.25 lakh, department sources said.
