New Delhi: The lieutenant governor has instructed officials to create watering holes throughout the city’s forests and ridges to help wildlife endure the summer months.
The TOI highlighted how animals, particularly the Nilgai, were moving out of forests and on to roads because of limited water availability.
According to officials in LG VK Saxena‘s office, four watering holes designed to sustain clean water were being dug in Sanjay Van and the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, both of which have a substantial presence of wildlife.
“Officials from Delhi Development Authority have been directed to establish an adequate number of appropriately spaced watering holes across all urban forests within seven days. These ridges generally do not have natural water sources, and those which are there often dry up during summers. These new waterholes will help the animals sustain harsh summers and avoid man-animal conflict,” stated an official in the LG’s office.
Officials said that design parameters had been decided. Each such hole would be designed to hold the water for a longer period. “The watering hole will have a rubble base with concrete joints and a clean water inlet Filling of the watering holes will be done either through pipes or through tankers at regular intervals,” a senior official said.
The rising heat often compels the Nilgai, which live in Delhi’s forests, to venture out and look for water sources, particularly near the Southern Ridge, risking their own safety and that of commuters in areas such as Dwarka, Vasant Kunj and Nelson Mandela Marg.
The city has several small forest patches and five ridges where animals thrive.
These forest areas have mixed custodians such as the Delhi forest department and DDA, while some patches of the Central Ridge, spread over 800 hectares, are administered by other departments as well.
