Priority for filling water tanks in Kovai forest range to save wildlife

As a result, there have been reports of deaths of a few elephants in the past weeks. Wildlife and environmental activists have expressed concern over the grave situation prevailing in the jungles and have urged the government to take immediate action to save the animals. 

Forest personnel, who also anticipated that the situation would turn worse during summer, kept filling the concrete tanks set up by them with water frequently to meet the needs of animals. The gesture is aimed mainly at helping jumbos. There are 64 concrete tanks in some key regions that will be frequented by animals in the seven forest ranges in Coimbatore forest division (excluding Pollachi that comes under the Anamalai Tiger Reserve). 

While some of them are fitted with solar pumps to automatically fill the tanks, the rest are supported by private water tanker lorries on a contract basis. Most of these tanks are attended to by tanker lorries once in three days. 

In the last three months, the forest department has confirmed a handful of jumbo deaths due to starvation in Coimbatore and The Nilgiris districts. This has raised concerns among wildlife and environmental activists as there could be more deaths since there is no sign of rains. 

“In a bid to provide drinking water to the wild animals we have increased the frequency of refilling the tanks once in two days from Wednesday,” a senior department officer said. The priority is to ensure water availability in the tanks in Sirumugai, Periyanaickenpalayam and Madukkarai ranges, as the drought is severe than the situation in Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Coimbatore and Bolampatti ranges.