Dhodrokusum village in Odisha's Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Sambalpur district, has undergone a great change as it has been declared as the reserve's first green village.

Located near the wetlands of Hirakud, various households in the villages are heading towards an eco-friendly measure and thereby becoming less dependent on forests. They have also been provided with fuel-efficient chulhas and families who can like afford LPG have been given gas connections. All this has greatly contributed in the reduction of deforestation levels and thereby reducing the instances of human-animal conflicts.

In order to prevent open defecation, villagers have been provided with toilet facilities. Again the chance of their going into the forest is reduced this way.

Re-usable dustbins have been provided so that the villagers don't use forests as a space for waste disposal. Residents are being assisted in managing their waste.

The instances of human-animal conflicts were more seen in the evening hours as animals used to enter into the space of human habitation and the latter couldn't alert himself due to the unavailability of street lights. To prevent this thing, solar lights have been installed to make them ensure about the security.

The Hirakud Wildlife Reserve is continuously taking steps to help and guiding the citizens in their endeavours. It is also much necessary as the Debrigarh has a high density of wildlife and the village being in close proximity to a dam, the animals and humans come into contact with each other.

The officials of the Forest Department consider that these steps will help in bringing a sustainable environment between the two. Furthermore, the pressure of the human habitat on the animal habitat is also going to be reduced. Harmful and things of poisonous nature will have lesser chances to be consumed by these animals as humans are only responsible for spreading these things anywhere.

The green tag shall help in the succession of efforts for the conservation of resources. The ecosystem comprises of both the plants, animals and human beings. Each of them have their respective important positions and it is the responsibility of the superior human being to take care of these instead of taking an unfair advantage at the expense of others.

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Reference:

• indiannarrative.com