NAGARJUNASAGAR SRISAILAM
TIGER RESERVE

The pinch period poses enormous hardships for the wildlife as well as Tiger reserve management in summer. The scarcity of water elsewhere and availability in few selected places drive the wildlife towards the perennial water sources and poachers tend to utilise the opportunity of congregation of wildlife in the selected perennial water sources. The Tiger Reserve management have to do the double interlinked duty of giving access to water for wildlife and facing and preventing the onslaught attempts by poachers.

• Water is an important constraint especially during the summer months, and becomes a limiting factor during the “pinch period”.
• During the pinch period, the saucer pits (artificial water sources) are provided with water through water tankers. To prevent absorption of water in soil, special high density polyethylene sheets are laid on ground and water is poured on these HDPE Sheets.
• The natural water sources are desilted before rainy season with strengthening of the bunds around them.
• Check dams are also constructed or already existing check dams are maintained for storing more water and overcoming the pinch period.
• Areas, where water becomes limiting factor, have been identified. In such areas, water development works like impounding, construction of pickups, small anicut are taken up under various projects.
• Low cost structures like small earthen bund tanks and seepage springs are developed. Annual de-silting of water holes are carried out as is practice for the last two plan periods.
• The solar powered water pumps, which have been established in Pecheruvu, Damarla Kunta, Naramamidi Cheruvu and Ramaiah Kunta, will be established in other places of Tiger Reserve as per the site specific requirements.