Forest department clueless on crocodile count at Manjeera sanctuary; disputes SDSO risk report

The Forest Department has strongly contested the findings of a report by the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) that flagged crocodiles as a risk to Manjeera dam operations.

Hyderabad: The Forest Department has no official count of crocodiles at the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary in Sangareddy, with officials admitting they are clueless about the current population. While various reports estimate over 500 crocodiles at the sanctuary, forest officials believe the number may be closer to 300.

The uncertainty stems from the fact that no crocodile census has been carried out in recent years, owing to poor funding, lack of planning and administrative indifference.

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“There used to be a practice of conducting a census every two years, but this has been discontinued for various reasons,” said a senior forest official. “We’ve been appealing to both the State and Union governments for financial support, but there has been no response so far.”

The department had sought assistance for patrolling boats, salaries of wildlife watchers, and routine maintenance. With limited resources, field-level staff are managing operations, the official said, adding that there is a pressing need to resume the crocodile census.

Unlike tigers or leopards, tracking crocodile numbers is particularly challenging. The process is typically carried out on a moonless night using searchlights from a boat. As the beam catches a crocodile’s eyes glowing in the dark, one pair of glowing eyes is counted as one individual. The count covers a 30-km stretch from Manjeera to Singur.

Established in 1978 over 2,000 hectares, the sanctuary was specifically developed for mugger conservation, following concerns that the species was on the verge of extinction in the State.

Mugger eggs were sourced from different locations and hatched at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park before the hatchlings were released into the sanctuary. These conservation efforts led to a significant rise in population.

Forest department counters SDSO crocodile threat report

The Forest Department has strongly contested the findings of a report by the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) that flagged crocodiles as a risk to Manjeera dam operations. The SDSO, in a March 22 report to the Irrigation Department, claimed that 700 tagged crocodiles in the foreshore were threatening dam structures.

According to the SDSO, the crocodiles’ whip-like tails, which could exert a force of 1–2 tonnes, might damage or misalign the dam gates. The report also cited risks to deploying divers and suggested that the reptiles be relocated in consultation with the Forest Department and HMWSSB. It further claimed that crocodiles were contaminating the dam water.

Dismissing the report, forest officials said crocodiles do not contaminate water, and blamed nearby manufacturing units for discharging effluents into the water body.

“The SDSO should have consulted us before filing such a report,” said a senior official. “Crocodiles are not responsible for water pollution. The real problem is industrial discharge.”