Forest dept. trains staff to repair defunct solar fences in Kerala

To bring down human-wildlife conflict cases, the Forest department has repaired nearly 1,500 kilometres of solar fencing across the State under a project titled Mission Solar Fence.

Department officials were trained in solar fence repair as part of the project. “They in turn trained select officials in each forest division. The State has already completed 32 training sessions,” said Sameer M.K., Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) and the State nodal officer for Mission Solar Fence.

Mr. Sameer said the Forest department had earlier installed over 2,500 km of solar fencing along forest boundaries in high-conflict zones. “However, because of lack of regular monitoring and maintenance, only 580 kilometres of electric fence was functional. With the recent initiative, more than 2,000 km of fence across the State are operational,” he said.

“Solar-powered fencing is one of the most effective and sustainable measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. At places where the fence has been repaired, the number of human-animal conflict cases has come down,” said the official.

Tool room set up

According to officials, the Forest department will continue to maintain solar fencing. “The department has opened a solar service centre in Wayanad and will set them up in other divisions too. A dedicated solar fencing tool room will be installed at all forest stations and sections. These tool rooms will provide quick access to essential repair tools and materials, enabling prompt response when fence is damaged,” said the official.

Smart system too

In addition, the Forest department has installed a smart solar fence system in the North Wayanad Forest Division on a trial basis. “The project was a success. If fences become nonfunctional, officials will receive an SMS notification, allowing them to quickly reach the location and address the issue. The smart solar fence system will be installed in all forest divisions in the State,” said Mr. Sameer.