Aaranyak installs 18-km-long solar-powered fences at Nagirjuli, Baksa

Man-elephant conflict

GUWAHATI: The premier biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak has installed an 18-km-long solar powered fence to facilitate human-elephant co-existence at Nagirjuli, Baksa.

This initiative will ensure food security and substantial decrease in human-elephant conflict incidents, thus directly benefiting approximately 15,000 people of 35 hamlets in 12 villages. The installation of solar-powered fences was conducted with extensive support from local communities and Forest Department, and funded by Elephant Family Foundation India.

The 18-km-solar-powered fence with two strands has been installed into two phases covering several villages around the Nagrijuli-Udalguri national highway. A 14-km fence was erected from No. 1 Dongargaon to Arongajuli village and the second part of the fence of 4-km length was installed from Piplanee to Serchini village.

Five units of solar-operated high-power fence machines were installed to run the fences.

Nagrijuli area is one of the hotspots of human elephant conflict in Assam; negatively impacting the villagers from every sphere. Before installation of solar powered fence, the people used to have sleepless nights in fear of losing their crops, properties and lives.

A direct impact has been seen after the installation of the power fences on the community which has improved their daily lives and have a positive social impact.

Local communities participated actively during the installation and the technical knowhow & equipment were provided by Aaranyak. Moreover, capacity building training was provided to the local youths for fence maintenance and future sustainability of the same. Five different fencing committees were formed for maintenance of the fence.

On February 5, 2021, a formal handover programme was organized by Aaranyak at Nagrijuli Police Outpost campus, which was graced by who's who of the area. An MoU for five years with clauses for maintenance and smooth functioning of the fences was signed by each of the committee during the event.

Ranjit Basumatary (BR Ferenga), EM, Forest, BTR, Dharma Kanta Das, EM, Agriculture, BTR and Emanuel Moshahary, MLA, Tamulpur inaugurated the solar-powered fence at the site. The inauguration was followed by a public meeting at the outpost campus, which was attended by Dipul Barman, DFO, Baksa, Mr. Abbas Dewan, ACF, Manas National Park, Kailash Malakar, IC, Nagrijuli, solar-fence committees and local people. From Aaranyak the event was attended Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, CEO & SG, Dr. Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, Head, Elephant Research and Conservation Division, Udayan Borthakur, a senior scientist, Anjan Baruah, an expert on solar fences, Alolika Sinha, a wildlife biologist, Jayanta Pathak, conservation educator and other researchers and staff working in Manas landscape.

Both the EMs, MLA and the local people expressed their gratitude to Aaranyak for undertaking this work, which ensured a peaceful coexistence between human and elephant. Upen Thapa, a retired teacher from Arangajuli mentioned, "The installation of the fences has created a safe haven for us. We can sleep peacefully now".

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