How One Story Brought a Forest Officer & a Conservationist Together to Protect Chhattisgarh’s Wildlife

It all began with a story.

On an early February morning this year, a The Better India feature travelled farther than anyone expected. Somewhere between its first line and its last, it bridged the distance between a conservationist in one part of India and a forest officer in another.

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Dr Sarita Subramanian still remembers the moment a forest officer from Chhattisgarh reached out to her. It was not at a wildlife conference or an official review meeting. It happened because he had just finished reading a story published by The Better India about her work inside India’s forests.

“A conscientious and dynamic officer reached out to us because of the story,” she says. “Otherwise, it would have never happened.”

That officer was Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Varun Jain, posted at Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh. The landscape where he works is known for its remoteness, its forest–fringe villages, and its fragile wildlife, including the critically endangered wild buffalo population the state has been trying to revive.

For some time, he had been searching for a sustainable way to ease a long-standing worry. Each summer, the forest’s water sources thinned out, pushing animals closer to human settlements and raising the risk of conflict.

The story he read featured the work of Dr Sarita, her husband, and their Earth Brigade Foundation. Their intervention was simple but powerful: solar-powered pumps to help keep water available in some of India’s harshest wildlife landscapes.

Varun says the article introduced him to the couple’s work at the perfect time and helped him see a path forward. One click led to a message that soon grew into a conversation and then into a collaboration. When people who care about the same land find each other, even daunting problems begin to look a little more workable.

The partnership that followed brought eight solar-powered water installations and five electrified forest camps to Udanti–Sitanadi, with more planned for the coming year.

A forest officer and a conservationist find common ground

For Dr Sarita and her husband, Dr P V Subramaniam, the officer’s prompt outreach felt like a moment they had been hoping for.

“We really wanted to work in Chhattisgarh because we know that it has beautiful forests, but of course, ravaged with many other non-forestry reasons,” she shares. “When Varun reached out to us, we were more than excited to help.”

The feeling on the other side matched this energy. For Varun, finding a partner who was ready to listen and act felt like a breakthrough. “The exciting part was that we had never met face-to-face. But still, she agreed to donate so many solar pumps. That was so kind of them.”

Within days, Earth Brigade sent their solar technical team to Udanti–Sitanadi. The reserve sits between several villages and has camps spread across its forest blocks. Many of its old borewells run dry by summer, leaving both wildlife and guards vulnerable.

The team did not begin by drilling new structures. They began by listening.

Selecting installation sites, Dr Sarita explains, is never random. “We rely on the local forest department officials to tell us where they need the installations. They know their forest more than we do.”

The urgency behind this planning came from what Varun and his team witnessed every year. Nearly 150 to 200 ponds shrink to barely a tenth of their capacity by peak summer. As the water recedes, a series of risks unfold. Elephants, leopards, deer and other wildlife move closer to human settlements in search of drinking sources like village wells. The chance of sudden encounters grows. When animals crowd around the last remaining water points, those spots also become easy targets for poachers.

“If we solar-power multiple ponds, we can ensure year-round water,” Varun explains. “Also, when water sources are scattered across the forest, poachers cannot focus on a single spot.”

The plan that followed tried to answer these realities with care. It considered where the water would be, which animals would use it, and how it could help soften the edges between forest and village.

Light, safety and connection for guards deep inside the forest

As the collaboration settled into a working rhythm, its impact began to surface in more than one way. Water was only the beginning.

The same solar systems were also used to electrify remote anti-poaching camps that had remained unused at night for years. Many of these camps stand deep inside the forest in places where nights once belonged only to darkness, torchlight and uncertainty.

“Earlier, there was no electricity. There was no power, no way to charge phones, no light. After electrification, night patrol became possible. It is essential for safe, habitable camps,” Varun shares.

With power restored, guards now keep their phones charged. They can report incidents faster, track movements more closely, and stay connected to their teams. For frontline workers who spend days and nights inside the forest, this shift touches safety, morale and the ease with which they carry out difficult work.

Solar power entered the landscape as a water solution. But it soon became a source of dignity and support for those who watch over the forest.

Systems built for forests, strengthened by local hands

Making this vision real fell to Gunjan Nagar, the project manager and vendor for Earth Brigade. His team specialises in systems that can withstand the realities of the forest, not just the technical specifications on paper.

Working with forest guards, they walked through sal forests to locate buried borewells, watched water points frequented by gaur (Indian bison) and deer, and studied dry beats where animals often strayed into farmland. Each site came from a mix of local knowledge and technical planning.

Gunjan explains that their pumps and motors are built in stainless steel to prevent rusting, and the pipes are high-pressure models sturdy enough to withstand even large animals stepping on them.

The installation sites were finalised with the forest department’s inputs. Priority went to old encroachment zones that have regenerated into grasslands, remote patrol camps and locations positioned one and a half to two kilometres inside the forest. Water in these areas supports wildlife in their natural routes and helps keep them from straying toward village boundaries.

The engineering mattered, but the people who would keep these systems running mattered even more. Gunjan adds that every installation involves training local youth or forest guards in wiring, plumbing and routine motor checks, ensuring that skills stay within the community.

This turns each project into a small skills classroom. A pump is installed, and alongside it, a young villager or a guard learns a trade that strengthens both livelihood and confidence.

Dr Sarita points to another layer that rarely appears in reports.

“These daily-wage labourers and contractual workers are the invisible workforce of India’s forests. They are extremely poor. So when Varun requested footwear for them, we immediately provided it. For them, proper shoes are as essential as the pump itself.”

Along with pumps and lights, the project carries a commitment to maintenance. Earth Brigade has set up a system that includes remote troubleshooting, quick on-ground visits for repairs and scheduled annual checks. The aim is to keep each site working long after the first installation photographs.

A landscape starts to breathe again

Over time, patterns inside and around Udanti–Sitanadi began to shift. The change is still fragile, still unfolding, but noticeable to those who observe the forest closely. “Human–animal conflict has reduced in the last three years,” Varun says. “Last year, we had one human death. Earlier, the number used to be six or seven per year.”

For families living on the forest edge, fewer incidents mean quieter nights and a lower chance of crops being destroyed or a loved one not returning from the fields. For the forest department, it signals a landscape trying to regain stability.

Sarita notes that while solar pumps offer immediate relief, but the deeper issues of groundwater depletion, encroachment, broken corridors and climate change will need long-term work through policy and community engagement.

The partnership does not claim to have solved everything. It shows what becomes possible when one part of a complex problem is handled with care, science and shared values. In a forest where water scarcity has long driven fear and loss, steady access to water and power feels like a meaningful shift.

Sometimes, a story finds the person who needs it most

The origin of this journey still feels a little “magical” to Sarita.

“The Better India’s story reached exactly the right person,” she says. “After a small reel we made went viral on social media, so many people wrote to sponsor a pump. Storytelling matters. It connects strangers and builds ecosystems.”

The first story introduced readers to Earth Brigade’s work. A short reel carried those images further. A forest officer read the article, sat with it and acted. Donors responded to a video by choosing to fund pumps. Each person played a different role, yet together they shaped what the forest looks like today.

In Udanti–Sitanadi, animals now drink from solar-fed ponds placed deeper inside the forest. Guards charge their phones and switch on lights in camps that once stood in darkness. Young villagers use their new skills to keep pumps running. Behind all of this lies a chain of choices that began with words on a page.

“If we can keep water available and protect habitats, we can reduce conflict and keep our wildlife safe. And to think of it, it all started because someone read a story,” Varun smiles. 

All images from Earth Brigade Foundation team