Forest Minister Mahesh Gagda today gave the green signal to the Rs 250-crore plan while chairing a meeting of his department officials, he said.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) R K Tamta and other officials were present in the meeting.
As per the plan, about 1,306 water conservation structures, including stop dams, canals, small ponds and waterholes, would be built at a cost of around Rs 250 crore in forest areas under the jurisdiction of the Van Prabhandan Samiti (forest management committees), he said.
In the first phase of the project, water conservation facilities will be developed in Raigarh forest division, under Bilaspur forest circle, which is currently facing an elephant menace, the official said.
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The water bodies will provide relief to elephants and stop them from straying outside the forests into villages and at the same time act as a source of irrigation for farmers, he said.
The thick forested northern part of the state, comprising Surguja, Korba, Raigarh, Jashpur and Korea districts, is known for human-elephantconflict.
According to forest officials, the forest area of the state is around 59,772 sq km, which is 44.21 per cent of the state's geographical area (1,35,191 sq km).
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