M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, March 15: Palamu tiger reserve officials are gearing up for the surface water management in both the divisions (North and South) of the tiger reserve.
Water starts receding or depleting in its water holes in both the divisions of the PTR with the intensity of the sun. There are 117 water holes in the buffer area and 205 in the critical tiger habitat.
“There are 38 water troughs right inside the Betla National Park where tourists are allowed while 106 water troughs are in the Betla range of the PTR,” said a functionary of the PTR Manish.
The northern PTR suffers most for water in comparison to the southern PTR for the reason that the southern PTR has more forested areas under it.
Average rainfall in the PTR is estimated to be 450 mm to 500 mm a year and then there is the runoff of the surface rainwater.
Deputy Director (North division) of PTR Kumar Ashish said, “As summer arrives, we press in tankers to fill our water troughs in the Betla National Park. Water tankers fill the troughs with water through pipes. We do it on a war footing.”
The water troughs here in PTR are of the shape of a plate. It is easier for wildlife to drink water from it. However, intelligent buffaloes of the farmers who come grazing in acute summer just sit in it depriving other wildlife to take a sip of water in the water trough.
Mukesh Kumar, the Deputy Director (South division) of PTR said that plenty and abundance of water bodies in any sanctuary or reserve at a close distance make the wildlife less agile for water. But when the water bodies are at a considerable distance from each other, the wildlife learns more to struggle for water and survival.
Summertime is more prone to poaching as poachers do know that wildlife will be coming to water holes etc. Commenting upon this Kumar Ashish said, “We have put up cameras around the water troughs to keep any bad elements at bay.”
Mukesh Kumar said that once the water starts receding in water holes, they start refreshing them. Refreshing is the deepening of the water hole. It is done in day time leaving wildlife to come over to the water body in the evening.
Sources said it is the elephant that gets restive in the summer. As elephants have no sweat gland or sebum gland, they require a lot of water to keep the skin moist. Where water is scarce, elephants use mud on the top of the body to beat summer.
Silt and slush, according to sources, are the enemy of any jungle’s water bodies. PTR isn’t any different. Huge amounts of silt and slush arrive with the rain and the water body’s bed increases.
