Forest means Water

At the time of the inauguration of the first Van Mahotsava in the country, Sri K. M. Munshi, Forest & Agriculture Minister, Government of India, rightly re- marked that Trees mean water, water means bread, and bread is life.' In this brief article I will deal v..'ith only the first phase, viz. " Trees mean water Forests play a very active part in the absorption of water into the sub-soil. The canopy of trees and shrubs reduces the force of the fall of the rain drops; the leaf littre and other herbarious growth minimize the velocity of running water and help in its infiltration into the sub-soil, its subsequent percolation through springs and in regulating flow in the rivers and streams. When forests are destroyed through misuse, the rain beats hard on the denuded soil, rapidly rushes down the slope, causes erosion carrying un- measurable quantities of silt and stone and creates serious floods in the rivers. Floods cause heavy damage to cultivation, habita- tion, roads, bridges and railways and deposit silt in the reservoirs. As a result of erosion, rich top-soil is washed away, thereby the fertility of the soil is reduced and the produc- tion of crops diminishes. The infiltration of the water into the sub-soil is hampered, the springs dry up, and winter supply of water in the streams and rivers is remarkably reduced. Such streams are swollen in rainy season; but are generally dry in winter; in consequence of which irrigation system is adversely affected. The destruction of the forest, thus, is followed by damage to national resources; and ultimately under- mines the foundations of economic progress and prosperity.The conditions in Hoshiarpur and PEPSU Siwaliks, where I have been actively asso- ciated with soil conservation measures for a period of 15 years, were, more or less, the natural corollary of the destruction of forests and retrogression in vegetative cover.