When mautam struck Mizoram last during 1959, the unofficial figure for the death toll was between 10,000 and 15,000
A bamboo shoot flowers only once during its lifetime, after which the plant dies. Gregarious flowering – when large clumps of the plant spread over a vast area bloom simultaneously – occurs every 48 years or so, a phenomenon nothing short of a mystery. The last cycle had a disastrous impact on the hills. This time, the cycle is due to peak in 2007.
The Mizos – heavily dependent on the plant as they are – suddenly find themselves deprived of their resource during this lean period. The worst is the outbreak of famine, triggered by rodents who undergo population explosion after feeding themselves on the bamboo flowers. Descending upon the standing agricultural crop, the rats devour everything, causing an acute shortage of food.
A task force has been set up for super-fast implementation of the bamboo development programme, harvest and utilisation before the peak of mautam in 2007.
It has formulated a strategy for harvesting, marketing for local industries and export. Bamboo is superior to wood in several ways. It is the fastest-growing plant in the world. A number of new shoots appear every year which mature in about three-four years’ time. It has high tensile strength, flexibility and excellent rigidity and is also easy to process. Its grains are straight and can be split into thin strips using a simple tool and woven into a variety of things including furniture and articles of daily use. The Mizos are to be trained in scientific management of bamboo forests with emphasis on employment generation. The next few years are crucial, for they would tell if the wonder grass is really wonderful.
Point Source
PracticalSustenance.Net