Dikhala-Earth Brigade Foundation’s (EBF) 100th installation project Aquarius seeks to directly address the challenge of water scarcity inside forests in summer.
To promote sustainability and mitigate the impacts of climate change, Project Aquarius provides drinking water inside forests through sustainable and renewable solar-powered pumpset installations. EBF initiative, Project Aquarius focuses on replacing the fossil fuel-consuming water tankers that the forest department uses to provide water with renewable, nonpolluting, and sustainable solar pumpsets energy. EBF is particular about not leaving any waste material back in the forest after the installation to reduce the waste management efforts of the forest department. EBF also ensures that any defunct or unused equipment and materials of previous defunct installations are refurbished, repaired, and reused to make the site operational and reduce the carbon footprint of using only new gear for the solar installations.
EBF has donated 145 solar installations in 19 forests, including 10 Tiger Reserves in 7 states across the country. The hundredth solar installation however was at Dikhala, Corbett Tiger Reserve. It’s a testimony to how Project Aquarius has amplified the limited and available resources to provide maximum benefit to a forest through innovative and efficient use of solar installations.
Most people are surprised that despite having a perennial river, the Ramganga, and a reservoir near the campus, EBF chose the Dikhala campus for the memorable 100th installation site.
Dikhala campus, though 32 kilometers from the main roads is an enchanting forest far from human settlements except for the few Forest resthouses and forest quarters. Dikhala has an electric supply despite its remoteness, thanks to the power supply from Kalagarh Tiger Reserve and the campus both staff and tourists get an electric supply. Yet, due to the jungle terrain, the electric supply occasionally fails in the Dikhala campus.
EBF decided to avoid relying on electricity and water tankers to supply water to the four waterbodies in and around the campus that helped small and big wild animals drink water in their secure and preferred habitats. Most wildlife are territorial and don’t like to share their resources, like drinking water. It is, therefore, imperative that water is provided at different points in the forest, rather than put undue biotic pressure on one waterbody. Many animals also don’t like to expose themselves in the open riverine area to predators, that may be ready to hunt for animals that come to the river to slake their thirst.
One of the water bodies in the large expansive grassland, ‘Chaud’ was 3.5km away from the campus which would mean that one borewell would be needed closer to this waterbody to provide water in the waterbody. Plus, the erratic power supply would also mean that water would not be supplied to the water bodies through the electric pump and water tankers.
As new borewells wouldn’t be always successful even though the cost of each borewell would run into lakhs due to the fragile sub-Himalayan terrain, EBF decided to use the existing 10-inch borewell in the campus which had an electric pump in it and supplied water in the campus and to one waterbody in the grassland nearby.
EBF with ingenuity placed the solar pump set under the forest department’s electric pump and with the help of over 8.5 km of underground pipelines supplied water to four waterbodies including the one that was 3.5 km away from the campus. This meant that the immediate and long-term cost of two borewells was avoided by this innovative system of placing the solar pumpset under the electric pumpset in the existing borewell.
By laying underground pipelines in deep trenches also helped protect the pipelines that are often damaged by thirsty elephants. The entire installation was also kept in a safe area above one of the staff quarters in campus to prevent any damage by wild animals to the installation.
Apart from the 4 water bodies exclusively supplied by EBF’s solar installation, EBF also gave an additional supply to the campus water tank so that the staff and tourists would not have any issue with water supply in case the Kalgarh electricity failed. One of the Waterbodies supplied thru the electric system would also be fed by EBF’s solar installation during power failure so that the animals depending on this waterbody wouldn’t not suffer during the powered failure that could last weeks on occasions.
The Dikhala campus solar installation is truly an amazing innovation of EBF that is worthy of the grandeur and spectacular forests of Corbett.
