DANG, June 9: All three tiers of government committed to Chure conservation appear enthusiastic to exploit it. From the federal government to the lower level local government, there is a shared desire to bring about the destruction of Chure.

SARLAHI, March 15: With the onset of the dry season, the settlements in the Chure area here have witnessed a shortage of drinking water. The locals here are increasingly worried over the drinking water after the well and rivulets began drying up.

DHANUSA, Nov 10: Former President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Saturday said that the Chure hills have been captured by crusher industry mafia.

DAILEKH, July 22: Geologists have said that they were optimistic about petroleum exploration prospects in the Panchakoshi area in Dailekh.

DADELDHURA, July 9: The drying up of water sources in the Chure area due to haphazard excavation has compelled the locals to rely on rivers for water.

LAHAN, May 29: Until two decades ago, the muddy water released from the Chure hills increased the fertility of the land and added to the productivity in Tarai.

GAIGHAT, March 17: Fire is reportedly taking place in various community forests in the Chure jungle in Triyuga municipality of Udayapur. Fire continues to rage the Triveni community forest and the Mothai community forest since the past few days.

SIRAHA, March 6: The banks of Kamala River attract locals of Dhanusha and Siraha districts for picnics and outings. During holidays, such crowds are seen on the banks of the river in summer as well as winter. They, however, express concern that the landscape they are enjoying won’t be the same in the near future unless rampant excavation of Chure comes to an end.

SIRAHA, Nov 19: After the election of local representatives, nature conservationists in Siraha were hopeful that the unabated extraction of natural resources in Chure range would finally come to an end.

DHANUSHA, Oct 30: Former President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has said the government at all three levels should take the issue of Chure deforestation seriously since it is a national problem.

RAJBIRAJ, Oct 6: In a bid to stop the rampant excavation in Chure and to save forest resources, the District Forest Office (DFO), Saptari, had banned the extraction of materials in 1km area of the Chure range and the forests there. Despite pressure from the District Development Committee, contractors and various other sectors, the DFO had strictly prohibited the extraction of limestone, stones and other resources from Chure and the adjoining forests. However, stating that the ban imposed by the DFO is illegal, Saptakoshi Municipality of the district has announced to allow extraction of materials from the rivers, which fall within the border of the municipality. This decision has sparked a controversy now.

SIRAHA, Sept 19: Some years back, Shuka Bahadur Khulal Magar's home was so far from the Khurma River that his family had literally no fear of floods.

UDAYAPUR, July 16: A decade ago, Prabhu Narayan Chaudhary of Udayapur Rural Municipality-7 used to have his house filled with grains. His farm around the house used to be abundant with agricultural yields. Irrigation was easy and convenient with water available from the nearby Balan River.

KATHMANDU, July 1: Through a notice, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has issued an early warning notice urging residents living close to rivers in the Chure and Mahabharat range to stay alert.

Action against illegal extraction

SIRAHA, May 8: Several unnamed and unregistered crusher industries are operating in the Chure range in Siraha. The office of the Cottage and Small Industries of Udayapur, with whom such industries are supposed to be registered, is unaware of their existence.

SAPTARI, April 27: Water crisis is deepening in the plains over the years. According to the locals, rivers and other water sources are fast disappearing which they attribute to destruction of Chure. They have urged the government to come up wise solution to the problem.

LAHAN, Feb 7: Former President Ram Baran often shared his concerns for two issues. “I always worry about two things. One is implementation of the new constitution and second is the conservation of the Chure range,” he would say. While the country has made considerable progress towards implementing the new constitution and the federal setup, conservation of Chure range, remains a huge challenge.

JHAPA, Sept 1: Just three weeks ago, massive floods wreaked havoc in Madhes. Landslides in the hilly districts displaced hundreds of people. Environment experts warned that further destruction of Chure would be disastrous. According to them, ‘unnatural’ flooding and landslides had a direct link with the long ongoing deforestation and excavation the Chure range.

LAHAN, Aug 21: An environment expert and engineer has urged for Chure conservation in view of the devastating flood in the tarai region every monsoon. Unless illegal extraction in the Chure range comes to an end, flood and landslides in the plains and the hills cannot be averted, they warned.

KATHMANDU, August 17: Experts and environmentalists have blamed a host of man-made problems including deforestation, sand and gravel mining along the Chure region for the devastating impacts of the monsoon-induced disaster in the tarai.

Smugglers are not caught and vehicles are released on bail

DHARAN, July 25: Illegal extraction and smuggling of stones from Andheri Khola of Sunsari is on the rise. The area falls under President's Chure-Tarai Conservation Region. Though vehicles used by smugglers are booked by District Forest Office (DFO), they are often released on bail which has further encouraged them to carry on with their illegal extraction.

KANCHANPUR, April 30: A massive fire that started three days ago in Kanchanpur district continues to take toll on the Chure area.

SIRAHA, March 25: Deforestation in the Chure region has escalated once again even as the government reportedly shelved its 'plan' to lift ban on extraction of Chure resources following widespread criticism.

JHAPA, March 16: The locals of Buddhashanti village had never imagined that their lush green fields would one day turn into barren land. The canal which used to be filled with water has now become home for ants. Water used to flow continuously from taps in the past but now locals have to wait for days to get water.

KATHMANDU, Feb 18: Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, Shankar Bhandari is for lifting the ban on the extraction of aggregates from the fragile Chure region. In a meeting with President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Friday, Minister Bhandari lobbied for the same.

SIRAHA, Feb 16: Aurahi village in Siraha district used to be known for its agricultural prosperity. That is now just a memory. The once arable lands have turned barren and the village resembles a desert location, with most of the farmland covered in sand.

LAHAN, Feb 9: National Reconstruction Authority’s (NRA) to lift ban on excavating construction materials in the Chure forest range to aid in the reconstruction of earthquake affected areas has alarmed conservationists and stakeholders. They have expressed concerns that the step would be exploited to further damage the already fragile Chure ecology.

KATHMANDU, Aug 25: A comprehensive study about wildlife found in the Chure region is beginning from Friday.