Maharashtra minister of state Ashish Jaiswal has warned that drying forests in Ramtek and Parseoni could push deer, tigers and other wild animals into nearby farms in search of water and food this summer, raising a fresh challenge for villages located along the forest boundary.
Jaiswal, who handles the agriculture and relief and rehabilitation portfolios, issued the warning during water scarcity review meetings with sarpanchs and officials in the two talukas. He said the small water bodies inside the forests could dry up, while the grass traditionally available to herbivores during the later monsoon and post-monsoon months may no longer be sufficient.
“Wild animals, including deer and tigers, will be drawn out in search of food and water,” Jaiswal said, according to the Times of India. He added that deer could enter farmlands for green grass, followed by tigers hunting them, increasing the risk of encounters between wildlife, farmers and other residents.
The minister said the period from November to June could be particularly difficult. His warning places water availability inside the forest landscape at the centre of the immediate response, rather than treating wildlife movement into farms only as a law-and-order or forest-protection issue.
Jaiswal said a draft plan under preparation would focus on storing the maximum possible amount of water in forest areas. The measures proposed in the draft include drilling borewells and installing solar-powered pumps. The draft government resolutions also include provisions for fodder for wild animals, including deer.
The minister said the plan was still in draft form and that he could hold a separate meeting with forest officials if required. No implementation timeline, number of borewells, water-storage capacity or budget allocation was specified in the account of the review meetings.
Jaiswal also referred to an increase in the number of tigers and said he had reviewed footage from camera installations covering the previous month. He said the footage showed instances of leopards and tigers crossing through the area, but that there was no unusual pattern in their movement as of the time of his statement.
Despite that assessment, Jaiswal said people living near the forest must remain prepared. He called on gram panchayats in forest areas, sarpanchs and elected representatives to take special care during the coming months. The proposed forest-water and fodder measures are expected to be developed further through coordination between local administrations, forest officials and village-level institutions.
