It’s blood on the railway track, once again. After a hiatus of nearly three years, death of elephants after being hit by trains has been reported from the Walayar area. Two elephants were mowed down by a train in the area last week.
Despite the joint efforts by the Forest department and Railways to reduce the wildlife-train collisions, animals are being killed. The recurring instances call for further improvement of the accident prevention mechanism, feels K. Vijayananthan, Chief Conservator of Forests (Eastern Circle) of the Kerala Forest Department.
Railway officials list the measures introduced by them including the clearance of vegetation on both sides of tracks, installing signages to warn the loco pilots, imposing speed restriction for trains passing through the sector, and setting up hanging solar fences to prevent elephants from crossing the tracks.
Ramps for movement
The setting up of ramps for smooth movement of elephants through embankments, LED lights to ward off the animals, installation of audio alarms with sounds of bees to deter them from coming near the track are some measures that directly target the animals. For its staffers, including loco pilots, train managers and station masters, Railways have introduced sensitisation programmes, explain Railway officials.
However, arguing for stepping up accident prevention measures, the Forest department feels that Railways should increase the frequency of clearing the vegetation along the railway lines to improve visibility for the loco pilots. Vegetation may be cleared at least five times a year. The number of elephant trackers must be increased to 10 from the existing six. The Forest department will also deploy its six men in the region, who would alert Railways on the sighting of the herds near the track, says Mr. Vijayananthan.
Levelling embankments
He also suggests the levelling of some embankments near the tracks to give room for the animal to move away safely from fast-approaching trains. The strict enforcement of speed restriction for trains in the sensitive forest stretch is another area which requires attention. Frequent sounding of horns to alert and deter the animals from approaching the railway lines and setting up more solar lamps in the area will need to be undertaken on priority basis, he says.
The Forest official also called for the early implementation of the AI-based Early Warning System, which shall cover the entire length of the railway track that passes through the sensitive wildlife habitats in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the Ministry for Railways has announced its plans to reduce the instances of wildlife-train collisions across the country. A recent meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw decided to prioritise the implementation of structural mitigation measures across different railway lines passing through sensitive wildlife habitats. The option of level crossings and ramps along with other technological interventions will be considered in areas where the construction of underpasses and overpasses may not be possible. Railways, the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, and the Wildlife Institute of India will jointly implement the projects, Ministry sources indicated.
100 sensitive locations
The 100 sensitive locations to be identified across the country will be jointly surveyed by Railways, the Forest departments, and the Wildlife Institute of India to decide on the type, location and size of mitigation measures. The species’ ecology, biology, behaviour, and body size of animals shall be taken into account while designing mitigation measures. Site-specific mitigation measures would be implemented after considering the terrain, topography, and width of the identified animal crossing zones, Ministry sources indicated.
