Mapping of elephant & train collision hotspots

The challenge of elephant-train collisions cannot be reduced to annual statistics of increase or decrease of collisions and elephant deaths. A narrow statistical view of the risks overlooks the deeper ecological and infrastructural dimensions of the persistent problem. Due to the non-integration of the movement ecology of elephants of seasonal migrations, corridor movement into railway expansion planning required the adoption of mitigation measures only as an afterthought. The two-day national workshop on “Policy Implementation for Minimising Elephant Mortalities on Railway Tracks” organised by the Project Elephant (PE) Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Ministry of Railways, prioritising 77 railway stretches across 14 states for mitigation intervention, is a timely initiative. These stretches include the Rani-Garbhanga-Deepor Beel elephant corridor on the outskirts of Guwahati, where recurrence of elephant-train collision has remained a dark spot of elephant conservation, with elephant mortalities recurring along the 3.5 km vulnerable stretch. Engineering design plays the most crucial role in mitigation, and the recommended mitigation package for these priority stretches includes ramps, level crossings, bridge extensions and modifications, fencing or trenching structures, exit ramps, new underpasses and overpasses. Successful commissioning of the pilot installation of the Distributed Acoustic System (DAS)-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) deployed along sensitive railway stretches across elephant landscapes in four sections under the NF Railway, covering a total of 64.03 km of elephant corridors and 141 km of railway block sections in Assam, is good news. The pilot installation has boosted confidence in deploying DAS-based IDS along all sensitive stretches. The workshop emphasised the need for stronger coordination among railway authorities, forest departments, and scientific institutions, as well as the establishment of standardised protocols for risk assessment, monitoring, and rapid response; it also called for enhanced early-warning systems, dedicated crossings, better signage, and improved data sharing, all of which reiterate these science-based mitigation measures. The urgent need is for time-bound implementation of the suggested measures, which require adequate budgetary allocations and meticulous planning. The ‘Suggested Measures to Mitigate Asian Elephant-Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in the State of Assam’ brought out by PE and WII asserts that taking mitigative actions for all new railway projectselephant and other wildlife habitats and corridors is not enough, and the bigger challenge lies in retrofitting existing railway lines to mitigate the impacts of railway lines that already fragmented wildlife habitat and corridors. The expansion of the railway network in Assam and other Northeastern states is a strategic necessity for an assured supply of food and other essentials and passenger and troop movement, but wildlife conservation is pivotal for sustainable development in the ecologically fragile biodiversity hotspot. The two priorities cannot be treated as competing agendas, as railways ensure connectivity and security while conservation ensures ecological resilience, and therefore, they are two sides of the same coin. The tragic death of seven elephants in the Lumding Railway Division of NF Railway in December last year when the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with an elephant herd was a grim reminder of the critical gaps in mitigation measures that remain to be bridged. The incident also pressed the alarm bell that measures, including retrofitting solutions for existing railway lines suggested by wildlife experts, need to be implemented on a war footing, not left pending irresponsibly until the next tragedy triggers a national outrage and forces action. The National Green Tribunal already registering a suo moto case into the incident has triggered hopes of required judicial intervention for expeditious implementation of all mitigation measures. As elephants moving along the edge of the railway line in search of alternative pathways through adjacent farm fields or tea plantations lead to new crossing zones, it also intensifies human-elephant conflict, and often the chasing of crop-raiding elephant herds can compel them to cross the railway line through new stretches which are not included in the identified railway stretches with potential collisions. This increases the collision risks, as new stretches will not have any signage for loco pilots about the elephant corridor. Identification of potential elephant crossings apart from their natural corridors needs to be a dynamic exercise. Such an exercise requires active cooperation of the people so that they can alert the forest and railway authorities about the presence of elephant herds on or near the railway track or preparing to cross the railway track. Building awareness among the local people must remain a top priority so that they do not create stress for elephant herds entering their villages along a railway track, and all forest authorities must properly liaise with railway authorities to facilitate safer crossing of the herd. Ongoing research on the movement ecology of elephants is crucial for dynamically mapping potential elephant-train collision hotspots, as elephant movement is influenced by habitat fragmentation, which in turn facilitates improvements in the design of new railway lines and retrofitting solutions for existing lines.