HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, April 5: Solar-powered LED lights have been installed in HEC hotspots by premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, as part of its unrelenting endeavour to facilitate coexistence in human-elephant conflict (HEC) areas in the region. The initiative aims to mitigate the ongoing conflict, thereby saving lives and property.
The initiative utilises solar-operated standalone blinking LED lights to deter wild elephants from crop raiding and entering human settlements. These devices are customised with two LEDs powered by an inbuilt lithium-ion battery, which is charged by a top-mounted solar panel. The LEDs blink at regular intervals, creating the illusion of human presence and deterring elephants without causing physical harm. This reduction in negative human-elephant interactions facilitates human-elephant coexistence.
Aaranyak plans to install 40 LED lights as elephant deterrents in different areas of Udalguri, Baksa, and Tamulpur districts in the first phase of the initiative, supported by SBI Foundation. Ten such solar-powered LED lights were already installed in No 1 Garuajhar and Uttar Garuajhar villages located on the bank of the Nonai river under Bhergaon block of Udalguri district on April 1st and 2nd, 2024.
Standalone lights were installed at ten different locations along the bank of the Nonai river in both villages. The LED lights were placed approximately 200 meters apart using eight-feet high bamboo poles and iron mounts to protect the paddy fields and dwellings. Around 500 families will benefit from the effectiveness of the LED lights in deterring wild elephants.
The river Nonai serves as a pathway along which elephants move upstream and downstream. Some tracks used to divert them to enter villages and damage crops near the riverside and inside the village as well. These particular points were identified in a joint survey conducted by Aaranyak staff and the local community for the installation of LED lights.
Seeing the blinking solar-powered LEDs from a certain distance at night, the elephants perceive them as human presence and move away from the area, avoiding the sharp flashing by the LEDs, instead of entering the village. The local community was involved during the installation process and also took responsibility for the safety of the LED lights.
Previously, Aaranyak had installed five LED elephant deterrent lights in Hastinapur village under Chawlkara block in Baksa district in October 2023 out of the proposed forty LED lights. According to the plan, the remaining LED lights will be installed in No 1, 2, and 3 Bholater under Bhergaon.
As of now, Aaranyak plans to install LEDs in No 1 and No. 2 Bholatar in Udalguri district, located nearby the Samrang river, Hedayetpur, and some parts of Hastinapur located near the Diring river in Baksa district, and No 2 Dongargaon in Tamulpur district.
