In a first, Chaibasa forest div installs intelligent system to mitigate man-animal conflict (State of Jharkhand, India)
In a first, Chaibasa forest div installs intelligent system to mitigate
man-animal conflict (State of Jharkhand, India)
B. Sridhar, The Times of India
January 13, 2021
JAMSHEDPUR: The Chaibasa forest division in West Singhbhhum district has
become the first in the state to install Animal Intrusion Detection and
Repellent System (ANIDERS), an intelligent system, to mitigate the
man-animal conflict.
The division has installed the system at four villages of Angardiha
panchayat in Tantnagar block while 17 more villages will be covered in the
coming days.
Chaibasa divisional forest officer (DFO) Satyam Kumar on Tuesday said the
mechanized device will prevent incidents of man-elephant conflict in the
area that comes under the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve (SER). The officer
further said ANIDERS uses infra-red sensors to detect animal movement and
works as a mechanized scarecrow.
He said, “Whenever there is a movement of wild animals within its range, it
would generate patterns of light and sound to scare the wild animals away."
The system, which has several features like real-time communication via GSM
network, is solar-powered, has no running cost involved and is not
expensive.
Explaining the working of the system, the DFO said villages which lie in
the vicinity of a forest and impacted by man-animal conflict would be
encircled by ANIDERS so that they a become protected zone.
The official said to make the system effective, a proper ground-based
survey was conducted before the installation and the elephant corridors
were mapped thoroughly by a forest field staff led by IFS officer Ahmed
Bilal Anwar. He also said the system was installed under the Wildlife
Management Plan of Tata Steel, Noamundi. The plan is mandatory for mining
firms operating in forest areas.
In the last three years, at least 12 people have died and injured another
12 in the man-elephant conflict in the forest division. Besides, 353 houses
were damaged and 1354 cases of crop trampling were reported during the
period.
The division had disbursed an amount of Rs 1.2 crore in compensation for
the damage and the loss of life, Kumar added.
Expressing gratitude to the forest department for installing the system,
the chairman of the local van samiti, Mangal Singh Sirka, said, "Our crops
and houses were under continuous threat from elephants. Moreover, we were
afraid of going out at night. Now, we feel relieved."