Water supplementation for wildlife, fire control measures implemented in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 

Forest Department fills water troughs for wildlife, creates fire lines to prevent forest fires in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

The Forest Department has begun filling water troughs for wildlife to help the animals beat the summer dry season.

The initiative, which is being carried out in both the Core and Buffer Areas of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), is being done to ensure that there is availability of water for wildlife to help them survive the lean, summer season.

In addition, efforts were also being undertaken to prevent forest fires within the reserve by drawing fire lines, officials said.

“Fire lines are basically a small strategic breaks in vegetation created by clearing or through controlled burning. By creating these breaks, fires can be contained to a limited area, allowing it to be extinguished more effectively,” an official from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve said.

P. Arunkumar, Deputy Director of MTR (Buffer Zone), said fire-watchers were also being stationed till late evening every day on top of watch towers in the buffer zone to quickly locate forest fires so that firefighters could be alerted. “This will minimise the risk of the fire becoming too large to manage,” said Mr. Arunkumar.

Fire-lines measuring a length of around 360 km had been planned to be created this season, with more than half the work already completed, he added. Mr. Arunkumar also confirmed that water troughs were being filled wherever there was an acute shortage of water in the buffer for wildlife.

Officials also said surveillance within the reserve as well as border areas had been stepped up to ensure that people, especially farmers and herders, did not start forest fires to clear areas for cultivation and for promoting growth of grass as fodder for cattle.