Crocodiles in Khadakvasla dam

Crocodiles spotted at Khadakvasla dam, a popular picnic spot; Irrigation Dept says reptiles released by Forest authorities without its knowledge

Crocodiles are the latest reason to let good sense prevail and keep a safe distance from the waters of the Khadakvasla dam, a popular picnic spot.

The Forest Department has reportedly released two crocodiles in the Khadakvasla dam, and the Irrigation Department says this has been done without its knowledge.

No exact figure
Local residents who visit the popular chowpatty at the Khadakvasla dam claim to have spotted up to three
crocodiles and say now they are too scared to go swimming there.

Confirming this, Avinash Bholbhat, executive engineer, Irrigation Department, Khadakvasla, said, "We started receiving complaints from local residents three months ago that they had spotted crocodiles at the dam.

Without our knowledge, the Forest Department released three crocodiles in the dam six months ago. Even after repeated reminders, the Forest Department has taken no action."

Forest Department sources, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, admitted the crocodile release, but no one would say exactly how many crocodiles were there in the dam.

So what if it's there?
A Forest Department officer justified the release of the reptile in the Khadakvasla dam waters, saying the crocodile was in need of preservation and that it was of a kind that steered clear of humans.

"The crocodile in question is an endangered species and Khadakvasla dam is a huge waterhole; and this particular species is not man-eating," said the officer. "And there are just rumours floating around that people have seen the crocodile; there've been no reports of the crocodile attacking anyone. We will catch the crocodile if there are such incidents, but we have not got any official intimation yet."

Nana Tanpure, a businessman from Mandvi village nearby, said, "Our kids used to swim in the dam, but since people saw crocodiles, the number of swimmers has fallen drastically. People who frequent the chowpatty also stay away from the waters."

Crocodile or no crocodile, picnickers should not swim in the Khadakvasla dam as it is fraught with risk for those who do not know the waters well. The picnic spot has seen several drowning incidents.

Chowpatty
The Khadakvasla chowpatty supports a micro-economy, with locals doing brisk business selling bhutta and bhel. Locals hope picnickers would not be driven away by the crocodile scare.

Chamaji Matale and his friend Sandip Chaudhari, both residents of Dhari village, who were swimming in the dam waters, said, "Fortunately, at Khadakvasla chowpatty the crowd has not gone down, but at the surrounding
chowpatties in Panshet, Varasgaon, Khanapur, Malkhed and Ghorepur, the number of visitors has gone down drastically."