New Year’s Eve and New Year in Mount Abu

Happy New Year from the Abode of Gods

Happy New Year from the Abode of Gods

New Year’s Eve and New Year in Mount Abu

New Year’s Eve in Mount Abu. "The Abode of the Gods" is one of the best places in Rajasthan to be for the New Year Celebrations.

Never one to miss its Winter Festival held every year. Abu prepares with loads of events for the locals and for our esteem tourists who make it up the hill. New year's last celebrations are held at Polo ground. For those who are not taking part in the Winter Festival, hotels, and other hotspots offer package deals to tourists to celebrate. The fireworks at the stroke of midnight are the beckoning call where the old year is booted out and we welcome the New Year. I from the abode wish all a brighter and stress-free year 2017.

Mount Abu Sloth Bears an update

Mount Abu Sloth Bears poached.

"After a census exercise, this year, it was estimated that there are approximately 350 sloth bears in Mt Abu. These solitary shaggy, dusty and dishevelled creatures normally wander alone, usually at night, in search of insects and wild fruit. I have encountered them many a time especially on the Delwara circuit and in front of the air force station. I have snapped them in the Kumharwada area in front of the St. Anna Church. I have photographs of them at my previous residence at Kumarwada. 

Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants and employ a well-evolved method to dig them out. Their long, curved claws are used to penetrate nest mounds, which can be unyielding. Once they’ve opened a hole, they blow away excess dirt and then noisily suck out the insects through a gap in their front teeth. To do so, they close their nostrils and use their lips like a vacuum nozzle. The sound they emit gives them away. I have seen them scale the trees in the vicinity of the BSNL office to get the beehives. Once they find the hive, they are least concerned about who’s coming and who’s going. 

Today regrettably the sloth bear like most of our other creatures has been reduced to a second-class creature that has to depend on handouts offered by humans who have robbed them of their natural environment. Sloth bears are reviewed as vulnerable animals. Poachers think they're an easy target; their body parts fetch good prices. Claws, paws, teeth and gall bladder fetch a nice price on the poacher's market.

A female bear was trapped last week in Abu by some known offenders that have been poaching for years not only basic wildlife like the jungle wildfowl, spurfowl, hares, wild boar and of course the honey bear. The samba and porcupine have been hunted to such an extent that their population has dwindled to an alarming level of RED. 

But who gives a dam? People rave and rant and always want to protect the environment! Well! Let me elaborate. It's useless NO one gives a damn!

(Caution some pictures are gruesome)

The Female bear victim of Poachers

Body parts removed and  left to rot

B

 Today a bear attacked a BrahmaKumari by Gyan Sarovar, in the early parts of the morning outside the complex on his morning walk. He was admitted to Global Hospital for treatment. He received surgery for about 5 hours because of his mauled condition. There has been a hue and cry by the public at large but what a contradiction in terms, a fortnight ago a female bear was trapped and killed by local poachers for her body parts, her paws, her claws, her teeth, her hair and other body parts were removed for aphrodisiacs and for charms to be sold to the traffic who indulge in the illegal trade of animal parts. There was just an investigation and two local poachers have been apprehended.

  Ghanshyam of Gyan Sarovar Art Gallery 

The operation performed at Global Hospital

Today I have confirmed that illegal trapping is still a very big factor in this Abode of ours look at the traps that have been retrieved for Tiger Path on Christmas day, which is the tip of the iceberg.  These traps were laid for. it’s obvious the few animals that roam here are the leopard, the bear or any other unfortunate animal that happens to be passing this route. Poaching is rampant in quite a few spots in Abu. Professional poachers poach rabbits and the porcupine exercises the area below Gurushiker and right up to Vastanji. The sunrise valley, the area around Upper Khodra and the Aarna area should be scanned for traps as in these areas the jungle fowl and spurfowl are the primary targets.

Two of these traps have been retrieved.

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Mount Abu The Abode: Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools APPALLING "An update"

 Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools APPALLING

Every morning opposite my Abode, a White-throated Kingfisher wakes me up from my sound sleep with his shrill whistle chi-keeeee, the rattling calls are there to tell me it's come looking for its breakfast. It knows it must hunt in the silent and slightly cleared stream. It knows it must have a morsel or two of either a crab or some surviving fish before the rising sun or else look for food on the land to survive.

Water hyacinth has overrun the stream further down, and the tiny streamlet now choking with chemical affluence taking its toll on the teeming miniature living creatures will very soon be a cesspool where even misquotes would find it difficult to breed.

The weeds spreading over the surface of the stream, remind me of us human beings, they are as prolific, mobile, diverse and not fussy about where they live, adapt quickly and are a pain in the ass to do away with.

It pains one to see all our natural beauty and resources are not at the mercy of our corrupt bureaucrats, politicians blah, blah, but for us common denizens, who have lost our responsibility and reasoning to this modern way of living pursuing pleasure and entertainment away from wonderful nature. We LOOK but we do not SEE.

I’m posting some snaps of the fate of the fish in our stinking stream.

The weed spreads its tentacles 

My morning alarm clock, the Kingfisher is at the stream at dawn,

Doomed to die like the rest 

Pathetic state

 Not many left 

Green menace spreading its tentacles in Mount Abu

Water hyacinth choking the mainstream Mount Abu.

Water hyacinth choking the mainstream Mount Abu.

Mount Abu's Battle Against the Green Enemy: Immediate Action Required to Save Precious Waterways.

Mount Abu, the tranquil abode of gods, is under attack by a relentless invasion of water hyacinth, which threatens the very essence of its immaculate streams. As this green scourge spreads its tentacles across once-renowned water bodies, local authorities must act quickly to avert permanent harm to the ecology.

Water hyacinth, an apparently harmless plant, has established a foothold in Mount Abu's freshwater ecosystems, posing a serious danger to the outlying areas, particularly up to the beloved Sunrise Valley. If left uncontrolled, the persistent proliferation of this plant might spell death for all Abu streams, undermining the entire purpose of the embankments and tiny dams built for rainfall gathering.

Consequences for the Environment: The influence of water hyacinth goes beyond its beauty, with potentially devastating environmental implications. The unhindered growth of this invasive plant might result in a significant increase in water transpiration, hastening the drying of streams. The hyacinth blanket over the water prevents sunlight from penetrating, lowering water quality and leading to environmental dangers as rotting portions collect.

Biodiversity loss: Once brimming with life, the once-vibrant streams now wear a smothering blanket of green. Water hyacinth is a direct danger to biodiversity because it suffocates native aquatic plant species, and forces bird species to seek alternate habitats. Silverfish and other aquatic species face an unclear future, while the approaching calamity threatens forest regions, putting wild animals depending on these crucial water supplies in danger.

A Call to Action: As the water hyacinth spreads unabated, the Lower Khodra Dam Abu, the major drinking water supply, is on the verge of a disaster that might endure for years. Urgent action by local authorities is required to halt the spread of this green threat and maintain the natural equilibrium that has distinguished Mount Abu for decades.

Mount Abu's battle against water hyacinth is a rallying cry for all participants. The moment has come to act, as the very core of this precious dwelling is under attack. Let us band together to conserve the precious streams, ensuring that Mount Abu remains a symbol of tranquillity, free of the invading green tendrils that threaten its natural beauty.

 I will miss the many varieties of birds that I have clicked on these streams. Here are a few pictures over the years that I have clicked in this area.

Water Birds shot over the years at this stream

From top to bottom: White Throated Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Cormorant,

                    Little Black Cormorant, Little Grebe, Crested Serpent Eagle
                    Common Kingfisher, Black-winged Stilt,  Pied Kingfisher
    

Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools APPALLING

Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools 

Mount Abu prides itself on being a nervous eco-friendly environment and a sanctuary. It has over the years enhanced the tourist facilities, and today tourists favouring it as one of the most favoured destinations in Rajasthan. The environment of this place has worsened due to commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, and encroachment on the hillsides.
In the past, our streams were beautiful with clear water and fish, crabs, frogs, and snakes. I remember gathering rosary beads along the stream flowing past Pilgrim Road. Today all that is history with modern buildings, schools and farmhouses occupying the open places that once were the paradise of the birds and beasts. The Abu that had a magnetic pull on us while we studied here has lost a lot of its charm. It has eroded this Abode that held me captive with its primitive charm and beauty just like our lovely streams. 
Abu over the last decade or so has been the victim of thoughtless and poorly planned development and decisions. The mammoth project for re-filtering the stream water flowing down to Abu Road has been suspended for over a year and the crores spent on this project now seems a certainty that this white elephant will be another failed project to poor planning on part of the administration.
Due to a lack of space for septic tanks, hostels and large institutions use underground pipes that lead to the streams of Abu for wastewater management. The streams near Delwara, Gyan Sarovar, and NeelKant Temple roads are polluted by cesspools that release untreated waste. The stream in front of my house is one of the worst affected by untreated effluents and chemicals. The stench in the evening is turning bad to untreated effluents that are released in Kumarwada has a drastic effect on areas close to the stream.
If our local Municipal Board has an interest in the well-being of Mount Abu, it should immediately take action to rectify this problem. Failing to protect our ecosystem and clean water resources will have disastrous consequences soon. This will impact our eco-friendly environment. 
I’m posting a few photographs to illustrate how the stream has been affected by sewage and what is happening to the aquatic life, which also has a drastic effect on the bird and animal life dependent on the waters of these streams.

Foam forming from chemicals and effluents

Fish gasping for air

It's a matter of time 

Will they be here tomorrow?

Need to be transported to a cleaner environment for survival

They have put huge Bins along the roadside for garbage disposal

They still dump their garbage into the stream.

The picture above I snapped on 11 Dec 2016.