The slightest wind kicks up a plume of dust from the dry, cracked ground; the trees are bare and the bushes brittle and thorny. As one of the worst droughts in recent years cuts a swathe through the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves in southern Karnataka, the 1,515 sq.km of forests have become a desolate landscape. By conservative estimates, just one in five watering holes, even lakes and ponds, remains wet. Langurs, elephants, gaurs, deer and nilgai crowd the remaining water sources and the once-expansive Kabini backwaters. The tiger makes an uneasy appearance — but even carnivores are on the lookout for just water.
The drying up of watering holes is tipping the fragile ecological balance of the forests, home to one of the densest populations of tigers in the world. The 2014 tiger census counted 221 big cats in the region. Even the density of herbivores is high. Forest officials say spotted and sambar deer, elephants, gaurs and even tigers are moving towards agricultural fields on the peripheries of the forests in search of water.
With the summer yet to peak and the drought already severe, forest officials are trying out innovations. Digging small pits in the watering holes and running water tankers to fill them every week is one. A more lasting solution is seen in the Bandipur and Nagarahole National Parks. Borewells are dug beside ponds, and solar panels are installed to power the motor pump through the day.
The idea seems to be working, as the ponds remain among the few bright blue spots in an otherwise barren canvas of brown. Nearly 18 such ponds have been restored with an intricate “elephant-proof” system.
With a State government grant in the offing, more are in the pipeline.
Lonely planet: Drought lends a spectral glow to a dry watering hole at Bandipur National Park.
No fish or water: Birds on a dry tankbed in the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary north of Bandipur National Park.
Scattered herds: Animals in an aimless search for water on the bed of the Kabini backwaters in Nagarahole National Park.
Tomorrow is another day: Gaurs skitter away after a drink at Bandipur National Park.
Jungle’s new hues: A elephant seems to be in camouflage amid the dry bushes at Nagarahole National Park.
Last dregs: One of the few wet watering holes at Bandipur National Park.
Sun is the saviour: Solar power is used to power borewell pumps to fill a watering hole at Nagarahole National Park.
Thirst has no stripes: A tiger has its fill at Nagarahole National Park.
Tough luck: Deer try to squeeze out water at Bandipur National Park.