Check dams, core wall construction & solar fencing

When Water Returns, Hope Returns: Rotary’s Approved Global Grant to Protect Communities and Wildlife in Tamil Nadu

Impact Snapshot

USD 82,213 → Check dams, core wall construction & solar fencing → Safer villages, restored groundwater, reduced human-elephant conflict, and sustainable livelihoods for 18,000 people

In the forests of Denkanikottai in Tamil Nadu, survival has become a daily balancing act.

Families walk long distances searching for water. Farmers fear losing their crops overnight. Children travel to school through areas where elephants are common. In recent years, human-elephant conflict in the region has resulted in deaths, major injuries, damaged livelihoods, and growing fear across vulnerable forest-edge communities.

But now, hope is beginning to flow back into these villages.

The Rotary Foundation has officially approved Global Grant GG2683487 — a transformative environmental and humanitarian project that will soon commence construction in the Denkanikottai Forest Range of Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu.

This project is not simply about building a check dam.

It is about restoring coexistence between people, wildlife, and the environment.

A Crisis Hidden Between Forests and Villages

The project focuses on 11 villages bordering the Gullatty Reserve Forest and Aiyyur Forest, where nearly 18,000 residents depend heavily on agriculture and forest produce for survival.

For years, shrinking water sources and erratic rainfall patterns have pushed elephants out of the forests and into nearby farming communities. Crops have been destroyed. Families have faced repeated danger. During dry seasons, villagers often move closer to forest areas in search of water and work, increasing the risk of encounters with wildlife.

The community assessment conducted with villagers, forest officials, self-help groups, and local administrative leaders revealed a simple but powerful truth:

When forests lose water, both humans and wildlife suffer.

The Solution: A Rotary Global Grant Creating Environmental Stability

Approved by The Rotary Foundation, Global Grant GG2683487 will fund the construction of check dams and reinforced core walls for percolation ponds in Bilineerkuttai and Kalnathamkuttai within the Denkanikottai Forest Range.

The Rotary Club of Hosur Midtown leads the USD 82,213 project in partnership with the Rotary E-Club of Greater Sydney as the international sponsor.

The project includes:

• Construction of check dams and core walls for water retention
• Restoration of percolation ponds
• Hanging solar fencing to reduce wildlife intrusion
• Community environmental awareness programs
• Wildlife conflict mitigation training
• Sustainable agriculture education
• Wildlife monitoring initiatives

Together, these interventions are designed to create a long-term ecological buffer that benefits both people and wildlife.

More Than Water: Protecting Lives and Livelihoods

The impact of this project reaches far beyond infrastructure.

By restoring water availability within forest ecosystems, elephants and other wildlife will have access to drinking water and vegetation in their natural habitats, reducing the need to enter villages and agricultural lands.

For villagers, improved groundwater recharge is expected to revitalise bore wells and open wells, providing safer access to drinking water and irrigation.

The project is also expected to:

• Improve agricultural productivity
• Reduce migration for daily wage labour
• Enhance school attendance and safety for children
• Strengthen local economic resilience
• Support biodiversity and forest regeneration

In a region where environmental degradation directly impacts human survival, this project restores dignity as much as it restores water.

Community-Led Sustainability at the Core

One of the strongest aspects of this Rotary Global Grant is its deep community ownership.

The project was developed following extensive consultations with forest officials, self-help groups, village leaders, and residents.

Long-term maintenance responsibilities will remain with District Forest Officials, village administrative groups, and community stakeholders after Rotary’s direct involvement concludes.

The project also includes structured training programs covering:

• Human-elephant conflict mitigation
• Public safety protocols
• Wildlife monitoring
• Sustainable agriculture practices

These programs will equip local communities with practical knowledge to safely coexist with wildlife while protecting natural resources for future generations.

Rotary Collaboration Creating Measurable Impact

This initiative demonstrates the power of international Rotary collaboration in addressing complex environmental and humanitarian challenges.

Funding support for the project comes from Rotary clubs, district-designated funds, international partners, and philanthropic contributors working together to create a sustainable impact.

The project aligns strongly with Rotary’s Areas of Focus:

• Environment
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
• Community Economic Development

Most importantly, it reflects a growing recognition that climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and human wellbeing are deeply interconnected.

When Communities and Nature Heal Together

Across the world, climate stress and environmental degradation are increasing pressure on vulnerable communities.

But projects like GG2683487 prove that sustainable solutions are possible when communities are listened to, local knowledge is respected, and global partnerships act with urgency.

Soon, construction will begin.

And with every drop of water stored, every farm protected, and every child able to travel safely to school, this project will stand as a reminder that real sustainability is not about short-term relief.

It is about creating conditions where people, wildlife, and ecosystems can thrive together again.

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