Forest Dept Pits Spark Grassland Destruction Fears

Concerns have been raised that water harvesting pits being dug by the Forest Department within Karnataka's Cauvery wildlife sanctuary are leading to the destruction of natural grasslands. Environmentalists claim heavy machinery used for digging these pits are decimating crucial grassland habitats essential for herbivores like elephants and deer, thereby threatening fodder availability and potentially escalating human-wildlife conflict.

Officials from the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary have refuted these allegations, asserting that the pits are intended to conserve soil moisture and promote the regrowth of grasses and specific tree species beneficial to wildlife. They maintain the initiative, funded by the Gram Panchayat under the MGNREGA scheme, is executed manually and designed to prevent soil runoff, especially in areas experiencing scanty rainfall.