ERODE: The forest department has resolved the drinking water crisis that had persisted for decades in a tribal hamlet within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district, under the 'Project Elephant' scheme.
Velladhotti village, which falls under the Germalam forest range in STR, is home to about 10 tribal families. "Before this initiative, the tribal families in this remote hamlet were subjected to extreme daily hardship, having to travel more than 2km across difficult terrain to fetch potable water for their basic needs, and that issue persisted for many decades," a senior forest official said.
"A few years ago, a borewell with a tank was constructed in the village through the local body to address the drinking water issues. However, it did not have a solar facility; instead, it was connected to the power line. Low-voltage is a major problem in tribal villages. As a result, the motor did not operate on most days. Then the motor also broke down. This pushed the villagers into great trouble," the official added.
K Prakash, FRO of eco-development of Hasanu Forest Division, said, "The villagers, with no functioning borewell, were completely dependent on natural water sources. This issue came to our attention during the Eco-Development Committee's (EDC) consultative meeting. Following this, a resolution was passed at the meeting. Subsequently, the forest department has resolved the drinking water crisis faced by the villagers."
As part of this initiative, the existing water tank was renovated, and a new supplementary water tank was fixed, he said. "We repaired the existing borewell. From there, we laid pipe connections of about 1,000m to both tanks. Additionally, a solar panel has been installed for the borewell to ensure round-the-clock power supply. We augmented the drinking water infrastructure for that village at a cost of Rs 8 lakh. We completed this task a week ago. Currently, drinking water is being supplied to the village without any difficulties during morning and evening hours," he added.
He also said that the department is considering implementing a similar initiative for the villages of Devarnatham and Pasuvakuttai as well.
"By bringing reliable water directly to the settlement, this initiative has successfully bridged a decades-long infrastructure gap, significantly improving the living standards and logistical resilience of the tribal families. This initiative has transformed their daily routine, saving hours of manual labour previously spent walking to distant water sources," said Yogesh Kumar Garg, deputy director of STR (Hasanur Forest Division).