Farmer Govind Gundkal fills a watering hole with water from his borewell at Tattihalla in Kalghatgi taluk of Dharwad district, to quench the thirst of wild animals.
Credit: DH Photo
Hubballi: Summer has been harsh in the shadow areas of the Western Ghats in Kalghatgi taluk of Dharwad district.
With water bodies drying up, wild animals have been venturing into human habitats in search of water.
However, Govind Gundkal, a farmer from Masalikatti village, has been feeding one of the important waterholes in the area with water from his borewell, so that the animals can quench their thirst. Masalikatti is surrounded by several hills and forest areas.
The forest areas are home to various types of birds, spotted deer, sloth bear, leopard and other wild animals.
Wild elephants come to the village in the month of December during their transit. Not only wild animals, domestic animals like cattle, sheep and goats are also going thirsty in the region.
A helping hand
Gundkal owns two acres of land on the bank of Tattihalla stream. He also owns a borewell, whose water he uses to cultivate sugarcane.
With the stream drying up due to the intense heat, animals had no water to drink. So, the farmer supplies water from his borewell to the watering hole in the steam and it fills in 6-8 hours, which is enough for the animals for four to five days. He has been doing this for the last three years. The farmer’s gesture has been appreciated by the local people and forest officials.
Artificial ponds
Kalghatgi Range Forest Officer Arunkumar Ashtagi said all water bodies in the forest area had dried up in Kalghatgi range.
The forest department is creating artificial ponds, from where animals can drink water. This also prevents entry of wild animals into the villages in search of water.
The artificial ponds are filled with tanker water, sourced from private borewells, including those owned by farmers in the area.