The decision to develop waterbodies was taken at a meeting chaired by forest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, May 21: The state government has decided to develop 500 water bodies inside the forest areas and wildlife sanctuaries in the wake or reports of two elephants dying of heat in Angul district in the last month.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by forest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra at the state secretariat today.

While 250 water bodies would be created inside the forest, another 250 water bodies would be developed inside the 13 wildlife sanctuaries including Simlipal National Park.

Minister Mishra said: “Remote sensing imagery would be used to ascertain the water level of various water bodies situated in the core areas of the forest. The field staff of the forest department would be taken to task if any one of them provide false information to the state government on the water level.”

In order to create enough food stock for wild animals, the state government is also planning to enhance the plantation area from the existing target of 1.6 lakh hectare to 2 lakh hectare. “We will encourage plantation of medicinal plants and bamboos. Meadows will be created around 100 hectares of land inside the Simlipal National Park,” Mishra added.

The forest and environment department is also planning to rope in around 20 veterinary surgeons and post them in the field across the state. “We are planning to set up six trauma centres. The veterinary staff and the forest department staff will be deployed at the trauma centre. In the first phase, the trauma centre will come up at Kapilash in Dhenkanal, Badarama in Sambalpur and Kuanria in Dasapalla. In the second phase, another three centres will be set up, one each in Rayagada, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj districts.”

The department is also planning to give a crash course to its staff for seven days in batches about animal care and its protection. They will also be given training at the National Institute of Wild Life, Dehradun. A number of tranquillising teams would also be set up to meet any unforeseen situation.