Porahat

The Porahat Forest Division was created on 1st October 1916. It spreads over Chakradharpur , Bandgaon, Sonua, Goilkera , Gudri, Manoharpur and Anandpur civil developments block of West Singhbhum districts. The total area of this division is 76401.65 Ha. The forests lie between 22 ° 20’ to 22° 50’ North latitudes and 85° 5’ to 85° 30’ East longitude. The main Porahat reserves form more or less a compact block although there are numerous enclaves of civil villages. The river Karo isolates the Girga block at the extreme west. The old demarcated Protected Forests occur in eighteen isolated blocks scattered all over the erstwhile Porahat estate It is bounded by Khunti District in North, Howrah- Nagpur line of the South Eastern Railway in the South, Saraikela- Kharsawan in the East, and partly by Orissa, Simdega and Khunti in West. .

The porahat forests, forming part of the Porahat estate were taken over by Government in 1858 after the Mutiny. They were subsequently taken over under 38 of the Indian Forest Act and formed part of the Singhbhum Division in 1881- 82. This was the first application of section 38 in what is now the state of Bihar. The ownership of Porahat estate, however, passed on to government after the heirless death of the raja. The Porahat Reserves, comprising of Songra, Kundrugutu and Bera blocks of forests, were one of the first to be directly managed by the forest department.

Configuration of Ground

The Tract is hilly throughout but mode of steepness varies with range. On the whole , the tract is made of a number of hills and steep valleys. The average elevation of Porahat Forest Division is 500 M from MSL. This tract has vast extension of Reserve and Protected Forests. . Forests of this Division mainly Sal forest along with miscellaneous forest in some R.F and P.F blocks.

Position of Forest Area In Porahat Forest Division

Topography

The tract is situated on the south eastern fringe of the chotangpur plateau. The height of the land decreases from North to South, hence general land slope of tract is south. Topographically the whole area is hilly, undulating, and highly rugged.

Climate

The tract has usually three tropical seasons, namely : i Summer season The Summer season starts from the middle of March to about the middle of June. The temperature in this season rises to its maximum and reaches up to 46°C (115°F), the days are very hot in this season. Humidity is very low during this season. ii Rainy season The Rainy Season generally starts from end of the June and continues till about the September/mid-October. Monsoon usually arrives at the end of June. This season is very good for the crops and beneficial for the farmers because the farmers of the entire region are dependent on agriculture. The humidity remains very high during this season. iii Winter season The Winter Season generally starts from the middle of October till the last of February month. In winter the nights are generally longer than the days. The nights are really cold during this season. Because of the heavy fall of dew, the temperature falls up to 5°C (41°F) during nights. The days are warmer than the nights and temperature rises to 35.5°C (96°F) in the sunshine. But this temperature does not last longer because of the shorter period of the day. From December to January fog is seen in the entire region.

Storms

Thunderstorms in April, May and June are often accompanied by high winds, mostly from the north-west. These are usually very local in their distribution and effect.

Rainfall

The tract, being on the southern fringe of chhotanagpur plateau enjoys rains of South‐west monsoon (from June to September). The hills as well as the northward aspects receive more rainfall. The tract also receives few but good pre‐monsoon showers, preceded by thunderstorms, during April‐May. These early showers are of much significance as it marks the commencement of the growing season and encourages the germination of seeds especially of sal whose mature seeds fall during this period. The Principal rivers of the tract are Koel, Karo and Sanjai. In this division, many tourism places are also there.

Tourist Attractions

• Hirni Waterfall in Bandgaon block which is 68 Km from Chaibasa .

• Pansua Dam in Sonua Block which is 55 km from Chaibasa.

• Nakti Dam in Chakradharpur which is 41 Km from Chaibasa.

• Mahadeosal Temple in Goilkera which is 57 Km from Chaibasa Town.

• Samij Ashram in Anandpur Block which is 85 Km from Chaibasa. These are famous tourist places in West Singhbhum District.

Forest Rest House Details

• FRH Chakradharpur

• FRH Sonua

• FRH Samij