Assam: Solar fence installed at Goalpara to mitigate human-elephant conflict

Goalpara (Assam) [India], April 22 : A biodiversity conservation orgsation Aaranyak on Thursday installed a 4-km stretch of community-operated solar fence to mitigate human-elephant conflict (HEC) at Bordol village in Goalpara district with support from US Fish and Wildlife Service.

"The solar fence was inaugurated on Thursday by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara, Ranjit Konwar in a ribbon-cutting ceremony arranged by the solar fencing management committee at Bordal village under Lakhipur range revenue circle in presence of 65 community members, representatives from the Assam Forest Department, officials from the district administration," the press release said.

On the occasion, ADC Ranjit Konwar said, "The solar fence which facilitates coexistence between the locals and wild elephants that often rummage crops, needs to be properly maintained to ensure its longevity".

Senior scientist of Aaranyak Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar mentioned that these measures will facilitate coexistence between elephants and human beings.

"In addition to the solar fence, which is very important to protect the crops, lives, and property of locals, we also emphasise the need to restore elephant habitats. These measures will facilitate coexistence between elephants and human beings given that elephants range widely," he said.

"This fence has a simple operation mechsm it is powered as soon as dusk falls. Once the wild elephants which try to enter the village, come in contact with the powered fence they are repelled by the high-voltage but micro-second pulses of electric shocks. As a result, human lives, property and crops of villagers remain protected," he added.

"The area is highly a hotspot of HEC where the indigenous villagers have found the going too tough in view of frequent extensive foraging resorted to by invading herds of wild elephants in the cropland that provides the livelihood for the agriculture-dependent community," the press release said.

"Such swoops by elephants often provoke anger among the community and leads to severe human-elephant conflicts that harm the lives and property of the locals as well as the elephants," it mentioned.

On the occasion, Forest Range Officer Dhruba Dutta said, "For elephants and human beings to live in harmony, we need to stress the importance of forest regeneration and fodder plants"

"Aaranyak has so far installed about 96 kilometres of such community-operated stretches of solar-powered fences at 16 HEC hotspots across Assam," it mentioned.

The Asian elephant is an endangered species and now living under severe stress due to anthropogenic pressures.

According to the 2017 census, Assam has 5719 wild elephants, the second highest population in India after Karnataka.

"As most of Assam's ethnic communities live in forest fringe areas, elephants frequently stray into their residential settlements and cropland which leads to conflict. But, these solar fences are, hopefully, a step in the direction of a peaceful coexistence of wildlife and humans, which we so desperately need," it said.

Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, Anjan Baruah, Bijoy Kalita and Subhas Rabha from Aaranyak attended the inauguration programme graced by the noted social worker of the area Sashi Bhusan Brahma.

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