Narmada-Son Watershed and Vindhya Ecology of Damoh

Damoh district occupies the watershed divide between the Narmada basin flowing west and the Son basin flowing east, making it a hydrological nexus of central India. The divide runs through the Vindhya hills, producing two distinct micro-climates on either slope. Western-facing catchments drain into the Narmada through the Sone and Bina rivers while eastern slopes feed the Son. The district contains patches of moist deciduous forest in the transition zone between dryer Vindhya vegetation and the more humid eastern MP forests. Sloth bears are common in the rocky scrub of the Vindhya escarpment. Leopard-human conflict in Damoh is managed through traditional deterrence: certain hill areas are considered tiger or leopard territory and are not farmed, a practice that inadvertently functions as de facto wildlife refuge.