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Bhaskar Singh, 80, a resident of Baghuapat village in Angul district of Odisha, never forgets to turn on his solar-powered lights as soon as the sun sets.
Located on the fringes of the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, the small village of about 35 families uses solar-powered lights and electric fences to fend off wild elephants, which used to destroy their crops.
Yet to be electrified
Accessible only by a four-km-long serpentine forest road, the village, which is yet to be electrified, had been struggling to deal with wild elephants. That is, until they discovered that lights kept them away.
“Encountering wild elephant is a routine affair for us. It is difficult to drive their herds away. The best option was to stay away from the animals. The lights have become our only defence against the elephants,” said Tilottama, his wife.
The village was introduced to solar lights by the Foundation for Ecological Society (FES), an Angul-based NGO, and TERI, a non-profit research organisation. The outfits provided solar panels and lights using the corporate social responsibility fund of NTPC.
Their idea was to light up the houses of Baghuapat, but they never dreamed that the lights could be used as a shield against elephants.
Growing vegetables
The villagers have gone a step further by installing electric fences, powered by solar energy, around their houses and fields.
“For many years we were unable to grow vegetables as jumbos trampled our fields,” said Upama Sahoo, a villager.
But since the fences were installed, the pachyderms have kept away.
“We grew vegetables for the second year in row. The elephants no longer raid our crops,” said Sarba Dehuri, a farmer.
1,954 elephants
According to the elephant census in 2015, Odisha is home to 1,954 elephants. The Mahanadi Elephant Reserve, of which Satkosia Wildlife is a part, has the highest number of elephants, 668.
“It is a matter of satisfaction that the most-needy people in the village have been provided with solar lights that not only light up their homes but save them from elephants,” said FES lead member Swapna Sarangi.
Baghuapat is one of the 15 forest villages in the area that is now using solar lights and fencing to fend off wild elephants.