Lakes in Shuklaphanta National Park Face Existential Threat Due to Lack of Conservation

Mahendranagar. Lakes within Kanchanpur's Shuklaphanta National Park, home to one of the world's rarest herds of swamp deer, are beginning to fill up due to a lack of conservation efforts.

The existence of Rani Tal, Kalikich Tal, and Shikari Tal is under threat as they have been covered in water hyacinth for a long time. Park Information Officer Purushottam Wagle stated that the protection and promotion of these lakes are essential.

“During the summer, artificial ponds are created in many places within the park, and water is pumped using solar power to quench the thirst of wildlife,” he said. “Although more than a dozen lakes within the park are filling up, we have been unable to clean them due to a lack of budget.” He noted that there are 120 natural and artificial lakes and ponds within the park.

The management of the park has been hampered by a reduced capital budget allocation in the current fiscal year. Grassland management is conducted annually for wildlife, but only 700,000 rupees have been allocated for this purpose this year.

The park contains the country's largest grassland, covering an area of 55 square kilometers. While the park's capital budget was 20 million rupees last year, it has dropped to 3.5 million rupees in the current fiscal year. “Although we need to manage 5,400 hectares of grassland, we could only manage 50 hectares due to budget constraints,” said Information Officer Wagle.

Shuklaphanta is home to a herd of over 2,400 of the world's rarest swamp deer, 43 Bengal tigers in a small area, and over 450 species of birds.