Policy prescriptions for sustainable living in UP

Lakhimpur Kheri, the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, lies in the fertile Terai belt bordering Nepal, making it an ecologically and strategically significant region.

- Durga Shakti Nagpal

It is surrounded by the rivers Sharda, Ghagra, Koriyala, Ull, Sarayan, Chauka, Gomti, Kathana, Sarayu, and Mohana. Known as a conservation hub, it is home to Uttar Pradesh's only national park, Dudhwa, which is the only place on the planet inhabited by five deer species. Dudhwa is also home to the Bengal tiger and the endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros.

The district, a biodiversity hotspot, faces environmental challenges due to its flood-prone geography. To minimise damage to the ecosystem and local livelihoods due to annual floods in the Sharda river, chief minister Yogi Adityanath sanctioned ₹80 crore for flood protection this year – ₹20 crore more than last year – ensuring timely and robust measures to safeguard biodiversity and human settlements.