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Introduction
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Census
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Archeology
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Introduction The area is hilly, considerably varying from plains to precipitous cliffs. High hills, deep valleys and gorges are characteristic features. More than 80 per cent of the area is gently rolling to hilly. The hill ranges contain number of plateau of which Amrabad, Srisailam, Peddacheruvu, Sivapuram, Nekkanti are note worthy. Nagarjunasagar receives rains from South-West monsoon as well as North-East monsoon. The South-West monsoon is active from second half of June to end September. After a dry spell of one month during October, North-East monsoon becomes active. The Wildlife is generally confined to plateaues during monsoon and in valleys during summer. The perennial water sources are generally located in the valleys and the plateaus suffer from acute scarcity for water during summer. The River Krishna is the oldest river in the country, which has cut its basin almost 200 m deep. Many water falls such as Ethipothala, Pedda Dukudu, Gundam and Chaleswaram are amazingly beautiful. The
Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanctuary was notified in 1978. It was
declared a Tiger Reserve in 1983. The Reserve was renamed as Rajiv
Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in 1992. Before independence, the southern
half of the Reserve area was under the control of the British
while the northern half was controlled by the rulers of princely
State of Hyderabad, who maintained it as a reserve for royal hunting.
Archeology The ruins of the fort of Ikshwaku Chandragupta a ruler of 3rd century B.C. are present in the area overlooking a valley called Nirjivapuram (Lifeless city). The ancient fort of Pratap Rudra a king of Kakateeya dynasty and many other forts are seen on the banks of the "Krishna". An ancient wall over a length of 105 miles constructed by the Kakateeyas is an interesting feature. This area contains a number of geo-morphological features e.g. rock shelters and cave temples such as 1) Akka Mahadevi Bhilam, 2) Dattatreya Bhilam, 3) Umaa Maheswaram, 4) Kadalivanam, e) Palankasari.
The ancient shrines of Lord Mallikharjuna and his consort goddess
"Bhramaramba" respectively contain one of the 12 Jyothirlingas
and one of the eighteen Maha Shakthi peethas of the country.
Forest
Types
Improvement of water resources was given top priority. Existing small tanks were deepened to ensure more water storage. Forty check-dams were constructed to increase number of water points by arresting water in the streams which otherwise would have gone unutilized. Seventy artificial water troughs were constructed and water is supplied through tankers as frequently as necessary in high scarcity areas. Salt licks were also provided. The fire hazard is considerably reduced by creating more fire lines and maintaining the existing ones. During summer separate fire fighting squads are deployed to extinguish the fire in the initial stages itself. Weeds, Parthenium and Lantana, were recently removed from 3000 ha, near the water holes. The compensation for cattle and human kills were paid as early as possible. The Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (APSEB) is going to provide Rs. 50 million for conservation in lieu of forest land diverted for erection of 400 KV transmission line through the Reserve.
The main components of the scheme are habitat improvement; water
conservation; maintenance of buildings, roads, wireless network
etc. New Initiatives The families dependent on commercial exploitation of fuel wood are being encouraged to take up alternative income generation activities. Endeavor was made to improve the fodder resources by raising grass plots in the vicinity of tribal villages, to cater to their needs and to reduce the grazing pressure in the forest areas. In order to reduce the fuel wood consumption, the non-conventional energy sources like biogas plants and solar lamps have been introduced to a limited extent. Apart from this the smokeless chullahs and portable chullahs were also provided to the villagers. One important component of the eco-development is education and awareness. This has brought a dramatic change in the attitude of the extremists towards environment. Now they are not causing any harm to the habitat or staff. Village Forest Protection Committees
Protection of tiger has received a particular boost due to EDCs.
The EDCs have become mechanisms reporting of cattle kills and
tiger poisoning from remote and inaccessible areas of the tiger
reserve. To encourage open dialogue about cattle kills and to
prevent retribution, Tiger Conservation Programme, WWF-India was
instrumental in developing a package of compensation /rewards
for the reporting of such kills by villagers. This has been highly
useful. Protection Squads / Patrolling
Constraints
The overall population density is 0.2 persons per km2. The population grew at the rate of 1.3 per cent over the inter-census period 1981-1991. There are 24 villages, comprising 557 families with a population of 2285, in the core. 8432 families with a population of 43978 in Non-core are residing within the sanctuary limits. Remaining 80 villages with 24531 families consisting of 1,22,751 people are in the fringe. Livestock population
Criminals and Extremists
Conflicts
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Kurnool,
Prakasam and Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh state of India. The Krishna
river flows through the Reserve over a distance of 130 km. The
multipurpose reservoirs, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, which are
important sources of irrigation and power in the State are located
in the Reserve. The reservoirs and temples of Srisailam are major
attraction for a number of tourists and pilgrims from all over
the country and abroad. 