NAWABSHAH, April 28: The wildlife at Pai Game Reserve is in danger due to non-availability of food, water and destruction of forest ecosystem caused by illegal wood cutting, a survey conducted by this correspondent revealed.

Pai Game Reserve, a forest and game sanctuary having an area of about 4000 acres, is situated five kilometres off National Highway in the Sakrand area.

The area was a natural habitat for animals like hog deer (commonly known as Pharra), Indian jackal, wild boar, small Indian civet, Bengal fox, Indian small mongoose and others. Besides 56 species of birds, including green pigeon, eagle and a number of other species have also been identified. All these animals are protected species.

According to figures, there were 30 hog deer in the Pai Game Reserve and the population could not grow due to non-availability of natural habitat, food and water.

The Pai Forest was gradually vanishing due to illegal wood cutting and non-availability of irrigation water due to which growth of various types of grasses utilised as food by wildlife was also affected.

Three tube-wells with Nos 1L, 2L, and 3L in tail of Rahib Shah Minor, Dad irrigation division, were responsible for supply of water to the Pai Forest and the water could be seen during off season when the growers were busy harvesting crops.

At least eight tube-wells were also installed by the Forest Department under Sindh Forestry Development Project (SFDP) to overcome the acute shortage but supply was not sufficient for the area which was turning the forest in desertification in a slow pace.

Hog Deer as well as other living species eat various types of grasses as well as they need water for drinking as the atmosphere was hot and humid.

When the food and water was not available, these animals had to move in search during which sometimes they either met with accidents or targeted by hunters.

Similarly, illegal wood cutting by the mafia has also caused a great threat to the vulnerable species and destruction of ecosystem.Indiscriminate hunting has also added to the decline in the population of Hog Deer, Wild Boar, Indian Jackal and Partridges.The unavailability of natural habitat has also slowed down the reproduction process and the number of species was not multiplying.

According to experts, drought-like condition has resulted in loss of fertility, erosion and hardness of soil due to absence of ground flora.

An average of 10,000 livestock graze in Pai forest area daily which has damaged the natural vegetation and newly emerging tree seedlings.

World Wild Life Fund Pakistan was also working in Pai Game Sanctuary for more than a year and has similar observations.

Usama Anwar, Site Manager WWF Nawabshah, told Dawn that they had taken up these matters with the concerned departments regularly but in vain.

He further informed that a coordination committee was also set up and several meetings were also held which were chaired by the DCO Nawabshah but the Irrigation Officials always made lame excuses about the lining of water courses.

He informed that the officials of the irrigation department insisted that Forest Minor was supplying water to Pai which was untrue rather Rahib Shah minor was the only source.

An official of Sindh Forest Department informed this correspondent on request of anonymity that there was acute shortage of irrigation water in the forest which was adversely affecting wild life.

He further said that Rahib Shah minor was the source of irrigation water to the Pai Game Sanctuary other than the tube wells, most of which are non-functional.

He further said that the issue of illegal wood cutting was known to every official and the menace was causing a great loss to the forest ecosystem.

Executive Engineer, Dad Irrigation Division, Mohammed Ali Shah, however, insisted that there was enough water in the tail of Rahib Shah minor.

He said that he had recently took over the charge and he would strictly ensure that there would be no shortage of water to the Pai Game Reserve till he was in-charge.

It was very astonishing that an international organisation like WWF was also being ignored and the concerned departments were least concerned about the issue.