Sambalpur responds to new solar fencing plan to mitigate human-elephant conflict

SAMBALPUR: To mitigate loss of life and property arising out of human-elephant conflict, Sambalpur Forest Division’s plan to go big on the newly devised solar powered fencing with participation of local community has received encouraging response.

So far, it has received requests for fencing from 18 villages and 72 individuals in the district. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Sambalpur Division, Sanjeet Kumar said, taking fervent pleas of people into consideration, the division had proposed communitybased intervention for implementation and maintenance of solar fencing last year.

“We received an acknowledgement few days back after the proposal was recently approved by the State Government,” he said.

Though the Government had earlier initiated solar fencing in some places, the measure had not yielded desired results due to maintenance as it needs constant monitoring.

If community members of elephant-impacted villages are made stakeholders, it will give them a sense of ownership and responsibility.

The DFO said the State Government has finalised the modalities for project’s implementation. As per the project, to erect solar fences along a village, villagers will first have to pass a resolution with a majority. ]

The resolution will be forwarded to the DFO who will then conduct a feasibility study. Once the fencing area is finalised, an MoU delineating roles and responsiblity of both sides will be signed between the DFO and villagers.

The budget for the fencing will be shared by Government and villagers in 90:10 ratio. Once the share of villagers is received, the DFO will get the work executed through an agency empanelled by the department and hand it over to the community for maintenance.

Similarly, individuals having orchard or farm lands within an elephant conflict zone can also apply for solar fencing. In this case, the owner of the orchard will have to get an approval from the DFO following a feasibility study.

Thereafter, they can get the solar fences installed by an empanelled agency. After completion of task, verification will be done by the DFO following which the owner will be reimbursed 50 per cent of the total cost.

Kumar says, work for the project is likely to start by end of September. As revealed by area mapping and survey, solar fencing of around 24.7 km will be required to cover 329.93 acre.

“We hope to act on proposals and process them this year itself as the measure will prove an effective shield from elephant depredation,” the DFO said.