Forest officials take measures to quench wild animals' thirst

Warangal: The searing heat conditions not only put tribal communities in a tight spot but also threatening to impact the life of wild animals in Warangal Circle which has 4,922 square kilometres forest. However it's a herculean task, the Forest Wing has come up with a contingency plan to meet the drinking water needs of the wild animals.

The Forest Department, in a bid to protect wild animals and prevent them from straying into human habitation to quench their thirst, has come up with a summer action plan. The department which identified forest areas where the water sources have dried up ensured saucer pits and percolation tanks at all strategic locations so that the wild animals could access them easily.

In all, there are 12 percolation tanks and 17 saucer pits in Warangal Circle forest, in addition to 26 check dams. The department ensured these artificial facilities to quench the thirst of wild animals where natural source of water is not available.

It may be mentioned here that there are 53 streams and 50 water bodies (small and big). The forest personnel also made arrangements for birds searching for water, tying saucer-type pots and filling them with water regularly.

Talking to The Hans India, Jayashankar-Bhupalpally and Mulugu district forest officer S V Pradeep Kumar Shetty said: "To tackle the acute shortage of drinking water in the forest, we have ensured either a saucer pit or a percolation tank so that animals can access them not moving far than 2.5-kilometer. The percolation tanks are being filled drawing water from solar-powered borewells where natural water sources are dried up." It may be mentioned here that authorities set up 17 solar-powered pump sets last year.

He said that forest personnel who constantly monitor the movement of animals with the help of camera traps take note of water scarcity. The Cuddeback-made camera traps which cover 50 meters help the authorities count the wild animals, besides keeping an eye on poachers.

The Eturnagaram Wildlife Division spread across 806 square kilometres reserve forest that houses bears, bison, panther, spotted deer, sambar, chowsinga, nilgai, black buck etc has 59 natural and 43 artificial water sources.