DHARMAPURI: The forest department has constructed four new tanks powered by solar-powered borewells to ensure enough supply of water for elephants passing through the forests in Palacode and Dharmapuri. Keeping wild elephants well-hydrated is necessary for their health in the summer season and also to limit their outside forays when thirsty.
"These tanks provide about 20,000 litres of water to elephants every day," said forest department staff.
In Dharmapuri, the forest ranges of Palacode, Pennagaram and Hogenakkal form a crucial part of the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest here is the permanent base of 69 elephants and accommodates hundreds of herds of elephants passing through during the annual migration season.
"However, severe water shortage in the forest in the summer, forces these elephants to wander into farmlands, causing human-wildlife conflict. To prevent this, we have created four new tanks in addition to the existing 30-odd tanks," the staff added.
A press statement by District Forest Officer K Rajangam states, "The summers are extremely harsh in the forests in Dharmapuri; hence protection of wildlife is challenging during this season. One of the key issues is the water shortage. We have constructed four new tanks in the forest area at strategic locations where wildlife traffic is abundant. We have also made dozens of temporary watering holes on the banks of the Chinnar River".
S Karthikeyan, Palacode Forest Ranger, said, "In Palacode we already had over 20 tanks, and additionally, three more have been built. Every day, the tanks are automatically recharged with solar-powered motors and this ensures the wildlife is not disturbed anyway. Further, dozens of watering holes have also been dug using earth movers on the banks of the Chinnar River and in other key locations. Water is filled here with trucks. The key motive is to keep elephants and other wildlife self-sustained in the forests."