Researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India) have begun a study of River Moyar in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), to better understand the biodiversity of the river and the surrounding landscape.
The research team is assessing the environmental flow of the Moyar in three areas within the reserve – Theppakadu, Sigurhalla and Thengumarahada. It is being done with the support of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
“Environmental flows are described as the quantity of water flowing through a river system at different points throughout the year which are required to sustain a river and the biodiversity dependent on it,” explained a top forest department official from MTR.
WWF-India’s Associate Director for River Basin Management Nitin Kaushal told The Hindu that the study of the river was part of a larger project that would eventually include solutions to help in the rejuvenation of the Noyyal-Bhavani river basin. The environmental flow assessment process for the Moyar is in alignment with the E-Flows assessments, which WWF-India is doing for over a decade in the Ganga basin and in other river systems, he said.
“Our work for the time-being involves studying the flows of the Moyar throughout the year and recommending a flow regime that will be conducive to maintaining biodiversity along the river,” he said.
Sanket Bhale, WWF-India’s Team Leader for Western Ghats – Nilgiris Landscape, said the Moyar was home to many endemic species of fish, mammals and reptiles including the critically endangered humpbacked mahseer (Tor remadevii), marsh crocodiles and smooth-coated otters.
The researchers from WWF-India hope to chart out the current and past flow of the river and come up with recommendations on the minimum amount of water that should be present in the river during each season. They hope to achieve this by convincing the government authorities in-charge of the dams upstream to moderate the release of water, and by restoring native Shola forests and grasslands in the upper Nilgiris.
“Rivers are living ecosystems and provide a huge number of ecological services, apart from just the water supply for cities and agriculture. The linkages between a river and the ecosystem surrounding it is often complex. For instance, the Terminalia arjuna tree, which are used by vultures to build their nests on, often grow near rivers and their life-cycles are linked to seasonal variation in the flows of the Moyar. As part of our study, we are trying to understand these linkages better.” said Mr. Bhale.
Field Director of MTR K.K. Kaushal said such studies of water flows were crucial in understanding and formulating policies that would ensure the maintenance of water levels conducive to the health of local wildlife that depend on the Moyar. “Nowadays, tiger reserves are also seen as one of the best sources of water, and they provide ecological services that benefit human communities as well. This kind of research will benefit both local wildlife and also people living downstream as we will better understand the quality and quantity of water flowing through this region,” he said.