Bandipur’s Parched Animals Finally Have Drinking Water, Thanks to Solar-Powered Wells

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Between forest fires and prolonged dry spells, animals living in and around Karnataka’s Bandipur National Park have been having a difficult time lately. Not only are the animals thirsty, but the heat and fire have left the land burnt and dry, causing high stress levels among the animals.

In an effort to relieve the animals, the forest department has installed solar-powered pumps in parts of the forest reserve.

Seven of the region’s driest areas have been chosen for the solar pump projects, including Hediyala, Omkara, Maddur and Kundkere (the site of a recent fire, said to be among the worst in recent years).

Installed close to water bodies, the solar pumps serve to boost the wells which in turn supply water straight into the watering holes. Little wonder than that each of these ponds draws large herds of animals in quest for water.

Speaking to The Hindu, B.G. Hosmath, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) said that the solar project was conceptualised around October 2016, when over half of the region’s 370 watering holes had dried up. While the Forest Department has funded most of the wells, WWF-India stepped in to install two of the wells.

“It is a great sight to see animals congregate around waterholes despite the severity of the drought, which indicates that the intervention has really paid off,” he said.

The solar-powered water holes are drawing a variety of animals, including the region’s famous tigers and elephants, as well as deer and sambars to the water. The dipping groundwater level has made it challenging for the wells to be installed all over the parks. But the abundance of animals around the park has been of significant help, alleviating thirst and anxiety.

In addition to Bandipur, similar pumps have also been installed in Antharsanthe, Metikuppe and Veeranahosahalli in Nagarhole National Park.

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They help stressed animals remain fresh

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/they-help-stressed-animals-remain-fresh/article17374204.ece

 FEBRUARY 27, 2017 

Solar-powered pumps a lifeline for Bandipur animals

Borewells fuelled by solar power have emerged as the lifeline to beleaguered animals in Bandipur ravaged by forest fires on one side and searing heat that has dried up the watering holes on the other. Trapped between the woody and burnt cinders with hardly any green vegetation to graze and ash-laden earth with no trace of moisture, the animals are undergoing extreme stress, reckoned to be one of the worst in living memory.

But the Forest Department in anticipation of such a scenario had installed solar-powered borewells in seven of the driest parts of Bandipur as a result of which these watering holes are not only full but are teeming with animals.

The solar-powered pumps have been installed in Kundkere, which witnessed one of the worst fires in recent years and in which a guard was engulfed by flames on February 18 – besides Omkara, Hediyala and Maddur ranges. Nearly a dozen solar panels installed close to the watering holes energise the borewell that pump water in sufficient quantity to flood the nearby pond.

B.G. Hosmath, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), toldThe Hinduthat two of the solar-powered borewells were installed by the WWF-India while the Forest Department funded the remaining wells in anticipation of the drought.

Lack of water at this juncture would have taken a heavy toll of animals in these regions.

Mr. Hosmath said the need for such an intervention was contemplated as early as in October by when more nearly 60 per cent of the 370 watering holes in Bandipur had dried up. That is when WWF approached the Forest Department with this proposal which was not only eco-friendly but was in tune with the principles of forest management. However, proposals for a similar intervention in other parts of Bandipur did not take off owing to steep fall in the ground water table.

“It is a great sight to see animals congregate around waterholes despite the severity of the drought, which indicates that the intervention has really paid off,” said Mr. Hosmath.

Camera trap images of the last few days show herds of spotted deer, sambars, tigers, elephants and other animals crowding around the watering holes which are turning out to be an oasis of cool water amidst the blazing sun and baked earth.

Similar solar-powered water pumps have been installed in Antharsanthe, Metikuppe, Veeranahosahalli ranges of Nagarahole national park as well.

Of the 370 waterholes in the 874 sq. km national park hardly a dozen have water in them underlining the severity of the unfolding crisis. And it is still February while the full impact of the peak summer that lasts from March through May is yet to unfold.

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