TODAY -
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 22 2009:
In one of the rare and exemplary efforts toward conservation of the ecosystem, farmers in Khangabok Assembly, home constituency of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, have taken up the onus of protecting the dwindling population of Swallows, acknowledging these birds as friends of farmers, and keeping a close watch against catching or killing them.
Realising the important role that Swallows play in enriching the fertility of the soil, apart from promoting the growth of paddy in the field by eating up harmful organisms, the farmers of Khangabok Assembly Constituency started launching a campaign against killing or capturing these birds, which normally rest on the side roofs of the houses.
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Apart from ensnaring other wild birds, some 2 to 3 years back, people of Khangabok and its surrounding areas used to catch Swallows with the help of fishing nets from places like Laipat Louhonbi, Keirenphabi, etc for consumption as well as for selling.
According to Khundrakpam Babikumar of Khangabok Part-II, for some people bird catching was normal daily routine in those days and a bird catcher could trap anywhere between 100 to 200 swallows on an average daily.
It was common sight to see people going around with nets and other trapping equipments in the evening and returning home with sackfuls of their prized catches.
However, these bird catching activities has come over the years, Babikumar, himself farmer and campaigner for the protection of Swallows informed, while recounting instances of fights and argument the farmers have encounter when started the campaign and set free the birds found trapped in the nets.
Babikumar also showed a large number of birds which were found dead trapped in a net laid by some unknown bird catcher in his paddy field today.
Emphasising on the need for protection of Swallows, Babikumar explained that Swallows can prevent paddy from afflicting with various diseases by eating away the harmful organism causing these diseases.
In the absence of Swallows used of pesticide in the field to protect the paddy from diseases would not only be harmful to the environment but also to human being in consumption of rice from such insecticide treated paddy.
Another farmer informed that the yield from his paddy field last year was not upto to the expectation as a consequence of killing a large number of Swallows.
During an inspection visit of the paddy fields in different parts of the Assembly Constituency it was noticed that some people, young and old alike, are still lying spreading nets to trap the birds even as the concerned farmers tried their level best to dissuade them from catching Swallows.
Interestingly, it was also witnessed that as soon as the farmer-protectors of Swallows turned their back, the bird catchers returned to spread their nets again.
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