Guwahati: Raising a grave warning over the rapid destruction of Assam’s ecology, young wildlife activist Devajit Moran on Friday accused government authorities and extractive industries of systematic neglect that is pushing the State Bird of Assam towards extinction.
Moran, who has worked in wildlife conservation across Upper Assam for over a decade, said the critically endangered White-winged Wood Duck (Deu hanh in Assamese) is losing its natural habitat at an alarming rate inside Dihing Patkai National Park in Tinsukia district, primarily due to oil exploration activities.
Drawing from years of field experience, Moran said repeated appeals to the Assam government, forest authorities and even the Government of India have failed to bring any meaningful intervention.
“For the last 13 years, I have watched the habitat of our State Bird being destroyed day by day. We informed every responsible authority, but the response has been complete indifference,” he said.
Conservation experts estimate the global population of the White-winged Wood Duck at just 800 to 1,000 individuals, with around 450 surviving mainly in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the species as Critically Endangered, highlighting its extremely fragile survival prospects.
“When the population is so low and the IUCN itself has declared the bird critically endangered, the question is simple—why are we still ignoring its conservation?” Moran asked.
He stressed that Dihing Patkai National Park remains one of the last natural strongholds of the species, making protection efforts all the more urgent.
“We are fortunate that the Deu hanh still survives in Dihing Patkai. Yet, shockingly, this very habitat is being compromised instead of protected,” he said.
Moran squarely blamed oil drilling and exploration activities inside and around the national park for accelerating habitat destruction.
“Oil rigs have been installed within the park. Movement corridors and breeding grounds are being destroyed in the name of mineral extraction,” he alleged.
He also expressed anguish over what he described as the failure of conservation institutions, claiming that many organisations limit themselves to periodic bird censuses while ignoring real threats on the ground.
“It is tragic that agencies linked to conservation restrict their work to bird counting exercises, while crores of rupees are spent without ensuring actual protection,” he said.
One of the most serious allegations raised by Moran concerns the presence of an oil bomb storage depot, locally known as Boma Godam, inside the Dihing Patkai forest. According to him, explosives used for seismic surveys are stored dangerously close to the bird’s habitat.
“Blasting materials are stored for years inside the forest, barely a short distance from the movement and nesting areas of the State Bird,” he warned.
Moran said constant movement of heavy vehicles, drilling operations and continuous industrial noise have drastically reduced sightings of the species in recent years.
“The bird is now seen far less frequently. The forest no longer feels safe for it,” he added.
The decline has also had a direct economic impact. Dihing Patkai once attracted domestic and international birdwatchers, helping sustain a small but vital eco-tourism economy in nearby areas.
“Tourists came from across India and abroad just to see this rare bird. With its disappearance, tourism has collapsed and local livelihoods are at risk,” Moran said.
Calling the situation a national ecological failure, he urged both the Assam government and the Government of India to act immediately.
“All oil wells and destructive installations must be removed from Dihing Patkai National Park. Only then can we protect our State Bird and save this irreplaceable rainforest,” he said.