54 crocs in 10km make Dev River daunting

Vadodara: Dev River has become out of bounds for terrified residents of Mahadevpura village following three deadly attacks on its people by crocodiles there turning its waters red and deadly.
The lifeline that flows through this hamlet in Waghodia taluka is often used by the villagers to bathe, wash clothes among fulfilling other needs. However, nobody ventures there now fearing the giant jaws that lurk in the deep waters. In last five months, three deadly crocodile attacks have already been reported along this river stretch prompting the forest department to step in.
Forest officials have put up signboards warning locals to keep away from the 10-kilometre stretch of river, which has become the abode for 54 crocodiles. “With five crocodiles residing in every kilometre stretch, the density of reptiles is very high in this river. Many of these reptiles even crawl out of the river and lie in nearby fields. It has become a hotspot for reptile attacks,” said a forest official.
“Till last year, this river didn’t witness any crocodile attack. But this year, three human-crocodile conflicts have been recorded so far. The river is infested with adult crocodiles and the conflict increases in summers and monsoons as crocodiles lay eggs and raise hatchlings in these seasons,” said Chandrika Chaudhary, range forest officer (RFO), Waghodia.
Chaudhary added that like Vishwamitri River, Dev River too has a dense population of crocodiles and it has become a cause of concern for the locals.
“Many locals are dependent on the river for their daily water needs. We haven’t ventured near the river for past couple of weeks in fear of another croc attack. This is for the first time that we have seen so many reptiles in Dev River,” Vishal Vasava, a resident of Mahadevpura, told TOI.
Vasava alleged that the villagers’ appeal for a separate enclusure in the river to wash clothes have fallen on the mamlatdar’s deaf ears.
“One of the reasons for dense population of crocodiles in this stretch is the ideal hunting ground for the reptiles. The Dev River is 10 to 15 feet deep at some spots while in parts of the stretch it is as shallow as three feet,” said Hemant Vadhwana, wildlife activist.
“Many small animals venture into the shallow portions of the river and turn easy kill for the reptiles. And the deeper parts have huge fish supply. In fact, many locals also fish in this stretch and therefore, reptiles mistake them for smaller animals,” Vadhwana added.