India, Feb. 15 -- The forest department - grappling with severe water shortage across forest areas and biodiversity parks within city limits, given that summer conditions have set in earlier than usual coupled with the lack of funds from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) over the past year - has highlighted potential forest fires and increased human-wildlife conflict as risks amid the water scarcity.

Forest officials said that the impact of the current water shortage is already beginning to show in that natural water sources in reserved forest areas are drying up, forcing animals such as peacocks, hyenas and wolves to stray closer to human habitations in search of water, leading to increased human-wildlife conflict in the coming month...