Chhattisgarh forest officials plan to conduct mapping of Kanger Ghati National Park caves

Raipur: Forest authorities are planning to conduct mapping and microfaunal study of caves in the Kanger Ghati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, a senior official said on Sunday.

A two-day workshop on the caves and further course of action for mapping and study in the park concluded on Saturday, he said.

Spread over 200 square kilometers, the pristine Kanger valley forest, flanked by hills and covered with sal trees, is famous for its natural beauty, biodiversity, waterfalls and caves, the park's Director Dhammshil Ganvir told PTI.

Kanger Valley got the status of a national park in 1982.

The park is home to more than 15 underground limestone caves, including Kutumsar, Kailash and Dandak, famous for their amazing geological structures, the official said.

"We have been planning to conduct mapping and microfaunal study of caves in the park. At the same time, exploration of new caves will also be carried out," he said.

Once budgetary allocation for the purpose is approved, the exercise will be undertaken in collaboration with research scholars from various colleges and universities, he said.

The two-day workshop on caves held at Kotamsar village in the park in association with the National Cave Research and Protection Organisation (a non-profit organisation) concluded on Saturday, Ganvir said.

In the workshop, Jayant Vishwas, an expert in cave science, informed about how caves are explored and dos and don'ts while conducting surveys inside caves to avoid untoward incidents, he said.

The workshop was attended by more than 50 participants.

Such events will help in the scientific management of caves, the official said.