Another forest official killed by wild elephant in Karnataka during mission, this time in Madikeri
Madikeri: In a tragic incident, a forest department staff member was killed in a wild elephant attack while participating in an elephant-chasing mission conducted by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) in Kodagu, Karnataka.
The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Monday in the Kedakal area of Madikeri taluk. A local resident named Murugesh narrowly escaped a life-threatening encounter with a tusker while riding his bike. Although he managed to avoid the elephant's attack, he sustained minor injuries after falling from his bike while attempting to flee.
Following this incident, a team of 15 RRT members was dispatched to chase the wild elephants that had strayed into the estates of Kedakal, aiming to guide them back into the forest. The team diligently tracked the elephants and used firecrackers to disperse them.
However, one of the wild tuskers retaliated and launched an attack on the forest personnel. While most of the team members managed to escape, Girish, a 35-year-old staff member from the Kushalnagar range forest department, became the unfortunate victim. Despite carrying firecrackers in his pockets, Girish was unable to evade the elephant's relentless assault.
The forest personnel continued to deploy firecrackers in an attempt to scare away the aggressive tusker. Tragically, Girish sustained severe injuries during the attack and was immediately transported to the District Hospital in Madikeri for medical treatment. Unfortunately, he did not respond to the treatment provided and succumbed to his injuries.
Madikeri's Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), AT Poovaiah, confirmed the incident, stating that the forest staff were appropriately equipped for the mission, but the elephant ambushed them. Girish, who had been with the department for eight years, leaves behind a sister.
A post-mortem examination was conducted, and the incident was officially recorded at the Madikeri police station.
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Karnataka sees drop in groundwater use, surge in recharge capacity: 2025 report
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka has recorded a significant decline in groundwater usage alongside a notable increase in annual recharge capacity, reflecting the impact of sustained water conservation efforts and good rainfall, Minister N S Boseraju said on Wednesday.
Releasing the 2025 Groundwater Assessment Report at Vikas Soudha, he said the gains are the result of good rainfall, focused policy interventions, and large-scale water conservation initiatives implemented over the past two years under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
According to the report, overall groundwater extraction has reduced from 68.44 per cent in 2024 to 66.49 per cent in 2025, indicating more responsible and sustainable usage patterns across the state.
At the same time, annual groundwater recharge capacity has increased from 18.74 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 2024 to 19.28 BCM in 2025, while annual extractable groundwater resources rose from 16.88 BCM to 17.41 BCM, the minister’s office said in a statement.
“This simultaneous reduction in usage and increase in recharge reflects our government’s commitment to long-term water sustainability,” the Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology Minister said.
The improvement has been driven largely by the expansion of water conservation structures (WCS) across the state.
Recharge through such structures increased by 29.11 per cent, from 0.81 BCM to 1.04 BCM within a year, the report stated.
Notably, the number of water conservation works has risen sharply from 3.15 lakh in 2024 to 3.94 lakh in 2025, strengthening the state’s groundwater recharge ecosystem.
The report indicates improvement in groundwater status across 11 taluks, with several regions moving to safer categories.
Highlighting these changes, the minister pointed out that Chamarajanagar taluk has improved from "over-exploited" to "critical".
Similarly, taluks including Athani, Channapatna, Molakalmuru, Ranebennur, Savanur, and Shiggaon have successfully transitioned from "semi-critical" to "safe" status.
Domestic groundwater extraction has also declined by 0.58 per cent, dropping from 1,21,731 hectare-metres (ham) in 2024 to 1,21,023 ham in 2025. Officials attribute this to increased reliance on surface water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Boseraju said that initiatives such as lake rejuvenation, year-round water supply through treated and surface water, sustained public awareness campaigns, and good rainfall have played a key role in reducing over-extraction and enhancing recharge.
“Instead of depending solely on the 120-day monsoon, we are ensuring water availability throughout all 365 days through scientific management. This has strengthened long-term water security for both farmers and urban residents,” he said.
Announcing a major technological step forward in future governance, the minister added, “To further safeguard our resources, we are rolling out the Digital Water Stack (DWS) initiative. Under this framework, we will soon initiate space technology and AI-based satellite surveillance to obtain real-time data for continuous groundwater monitoring.”
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