The Hindu Business Line : Wild animals come calling for water from AP hinterland

CRISIS IN TIGER COUNTRY: An employee of the Forest Department walks through a dried-up stream which used to be one of the main sources of water in the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Project at Mannanur in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh. Acute shortage of water in the forest is prompting wild animals to venture into human habitations to quench their thirst.

HYDERABAD, April 14

IN the rural hinterland of Andhra Pradesh, severe drought and shortage of water is forcing people to migrate to cities and towns in search of employment and livelihood.

Farther in the interiors, especially in isolated pockets of jungle tracts, another migration, of wild animals into nearby villages in search of drinking water, is causing concern to the Forest Department and village administration in several districts.

The prospect of tigers, panthers and bear forced to leave their habitats in search of water is giving sleepless nights to villagers in the vicinity of the forests. Incidents of a panther straying into a village and causing injuries to a couple of people in Parkal village in Warangal district and bears venturing out of the jungle in a couple of other districts have prompted the Forest Department to take steps to monitor the movement of animals.

The problem is potentially dangerous in the unreserved areas with forest growth in the districts of Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Cuddapah and Srikakulam. Here, the forest officials in collaboration with the district administration have taken up the strategy of digging `Saucer Pits', which generally collect water from underground sources and are easy to access for the animals.

The drought, which is claimed to have affected nearly 800 out of 1,100 mandals in the State, has also dried up waterholes in forest areas. For example, in Farhabad in Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar forest area, two of the four waterholes have already dried up. In addition, the traditional streams where the animals come for drinking have also dried up, according to forest department officials.

The department has done a quick survey of forest areas where the water sources have dried up and the animals could stray. In these areas, the strategy is to create waterholes by digging saucer pits and also continuously monitoring the movement of animals so that a man-animal conflict can be avoided.

According to the Forest Department, the assumption at present is that there is enough fodder, especially for the herbivores. However, with the drinking water situation poised to become difficult, there could be strain on the animal life. The Neeru-Meeru programme of the State Government has alleviated the situation to some extent by ensuring a certain level of water supply in forest areas.

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