PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 25: The blistering heat coupled with the drying up of reservoirs has resulted in an acute water crisis at Dalma wildlife sanctuary, an abode for elephants.
Forest department sources said the water level at most of the natural reservoirs inside Dalma wildlife sanctuary has gone down owing to extreme weather conditions. The situation is likely to worsen if there is no shower relief in the days to come.
The bad news is that in absence of any rainfall activity and dry weather conditions, the maximum reading is likely to witness a two to three-degree rise in the next 72 hours.
There are several watering holes, including Badka Bandh, Majla Bandh, Chotka Bandh and Bijli Ghati, inside the sprawling 192 sq sanctuary, 30 km from Jamshedpur, which has slid down to over 40 ft. Foresters said the water level would further dip if there is no rainfall in a week.
Forest officials said intense heat was the reason behind water bodies drying up. “Water level at the reservoirs go down during summer but this time the mercury has climbed very high. The water level at the check dams has also gone down,” said an official.
If the situation remains the same and mercury shoots further it would directly affect the wild animals who are dependent on water bodies.
Foresters apprehended that this would force animals to stray into villages in search of water. They might also be killed.
All the elephants have returned to the sanctuary after their annual sojourn to the jungles of West Midnapore and Bankura in neighbouring Bengal.
Drying up of water holes is a cause of concern for the forest department.
Notably, in an attempt to conserve rainwater and use them in the lean months of summer, the state forest department has constructed check dams at several places within the sanctuary.
