The pilot project in its first phase has been taken up in Ranthambhore, Bandhavgarh, Simlipal, Sariska Melghat, Kanha-Pench corridor, and Dudhwa and Balmiki tiger reserves. It is being implemented under the flagship project of “Lighting a Billion Lives" by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI).
It is expected to yield tangible results in animal conservation. The forest department is particularly apprehensive of electrical power supply reaching such forest villages, fearing accidental electrocution of animals. Such instances have been detected in the past in some of these villages where electricity had been provided, said Jarnail Singh, leading the project in the tiger reserves. Hence, use of non-conventional energy sources provides a tenable solution, he added.
Better lighting enables forest communities to keep vigil on their surroundings, felt Bhanumati Acharya, environmentalist in Simlipal reserve and winner of Prakriti Mitra award. One major reason of man-animal conflict is when these wild animals stray into their villages either destroying their crops or causing other damages. Most of these incidents occur at night when the visibility is poor. Kerosene lamps that are usually used by the villagers do not serve the purpose, the light failing to reach long distances. “Solar lanterns aglow at night, keeping away wild elephants, leopards, hyena or even tigers, as wild animals tend to avoid strong light," said Acharya. Read the full report here.
Source: Moushumi Basu, The Pioneer, New Delhi
