The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has issued a warning that the Morand-Ganjal Irrigation Project in Madhya Pradesh will lead to the submergence of crucial tiger habitats in the Satpura Wildlife Sanctuary and Melghat Tiger Reserves.

About Morand-Ganjal Irrigation Project

• The project is a dam-based irrigation initiative aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity in Madhya Pradesh.
• It involves the Morand and Ganjal Rivers.
• Ganjal River is a left-bank tributary of the Narmada River.
• Morand River is a major tributary of the Ganjal River.

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About Satpura Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS)

• Established in: 2000.
• Location: Situated south of the Narmada River in Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh.
• The sanctuary lies in the Satpura ranges of the Central Indian Landscape.
• The name Satpura means “Seven Folds”, forming a watershed between the Narmada and Tapti Rivers.
• It has a corridor connectivity with Pench National Park.
• The sanctuary is home to Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears, Indian bison, and diverse flora.

About Melghat Tiger Reserve

• Established as a Wildlife Sanctuary in: 1967.
• Declared a Tiger Reserve in: 1974.
• The name “Melghat” means “Confluence of various ghats or valleys.”
• Location: Situated in the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, known as Gavilgarh Hill in Maharashtra.
• Vegetation: Predominantly tropical dry deciduous forests, with teak as the dominant species.
• Boundaries of the reserve: The Tapti River and the Gawilgarh ridge of the Satpura Range.
• Major tribes inhabiting the area:
  • Korkus (largest tribal community in Melghat)
  • O Gawli community
  • Gond tribe
• The reserve is considered a stronghold of the critically endangered forest owlet.
• Melghat Tiger Reserve was among the first nine tiger reserves notified in 1973-74 under Project Tiger.
• It was the first tiger reserve in Maharashtra.

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