The recent electrocution of as many as seven elephants at Kamalanga of Dhenkanal district sparked off a countrywide indignation and calls for action against the guilty.
A week has passed. What has been the outcome? A few lower-level forest officers and some district-level electrical engineers and lower staffs of the Cesu have been suspended. Of course, a junior engineer of Cesu has been dismissed from service.
Imagine the outrage if seven human beings had died at the spot had they accidentally touched the sagging 11KV overhead power line. These engineers who were guilty of negligence or rather criminal negligence would have been booked and arrested for murder of the second degree caused by criminal negligence since their culpability was clear and visible.
The forest department had been regularly warning the district electrical officials as well as the Managing Director of Cesu about the sagging overhead wires in Dhenkanal since the last two years.
They had recommended insulated overhead wires for at least 136 running km where elephants regularly pass.
Forest Minister BijashreeRoutray was well aware of this issue since Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has written three letters to him over the last one year about the sagging overhead power lines in Dhenkanal district and the immense danger they pose to passing elephants. The department officials have also informed him about the lack of cooperation from the Energy Department and Cesu.
Why did he remain quiet? Did he take this up with the Energy Minister? Did he seek the CM’s intervention to save elephants? I am quite certain if these simple steps had been taken these innocent elephants and the rest which have died by electrocution during his tenure from May,2017 would have been saved.
The Minister never bothered and hence, this lack of concern is unpardonable. If he had any remorse, he would have owned moral responsibility and resigned by now. What a shame for us to have such a Minister who has failed wildlife on all fronts!
Among the many unnatural reasons like poaching, electrocution, train and road kills and even falling into open well, electrocution deaths is among the top two leading causes for unnatural deaths of elephants.
Angul and Dhenkanal districts both under Cesu distribution network have emerged as a hotspot for electrocution having lost 12 elephants since April in just seven months.
Power lines sag at dangerous low levels posing immense danger to even humans apart from elephants. There are no safety systems like fuses.
Between 2000 and 2010, there were 77 electrocution deaths, mostly due to sagging power lines averaging less than eight elephants in a year.
During this period, the Government had not taken any preventive steps to control electrocutions.
From 2010 onwards, despite some preventive steps taken by the Government, including allocation of adequate funds for strengthening of power lines, the electrocution death rates have not come down. From April , 2010 to October 27, 2018 (8.7 years ) the State has lost102 elephants to electrocution, averaging about 12 elephants in a year.
Live wire poaching traps, sagging overhead lines and electrified fences are the three methods of electrocution of elephants in Odisha.
60 per cent of the electrocution deaths are now due to live wire poaching. Before 2010, majority of the unnatural elephant deaths, approximately 80 per cent, were due to sagging power lines. Since 2010 out of 102 electrocution deaths, 42 are due to sagging lines and 60 are due to live wire poaching which reveals absence of patrolling.
These deaths could have been prevented had the distcoms like Cesu been more responsible by lifting them.
The distcoms violate Central Electricity Authority (CEA) guidelines for laying and maintenance of 11/33-KV transmission/distribution lines in area critical for wildlife. Rule 77 is violated which provides minimum ground clearance for conductor at various places like across streets, along streets and other places at minimum of 4.6 metres. 11-KV line has to be minimum height of 5.5. metres above ground. Lack of testing of all apparatus, cables and supply lines periodically poses a grave danger.
No Earth Leakage Circuit breaker (ELCBs) to disconnect the supply instantly on occurrence of earth fault and no safety fuse or isolated lines either. This was an important recommendation of the four member expert MoeFCCcommittee in 2010.
RTI information about inspection of power lines for the period from April 1, 2011 to December 15, 2016 (nearly six years) obtained on February 4, 2017 revealed no inspections.
Sagging lines reported to the Discoms not followed up. There is no local Reward system to prevent any hooking for live wire poaching. Not a single Discom official has been convicted and jailed under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 despite death of nearly 120 elephants caused by sagging overhead lines. No action against senior officers for dereliction of duties. No action in Angul case where two elephants were killed in 10 days by electrocution due to lack of patrolling. The DFO or Range Officer never faced any proceeding.
It is against this backdrop that there is a need to set up reinforced electric poles fitted with spikes to prevent elephants rubbing against them and lifting of sagging overhead power lines. This is yet to be done in many jungle areas.
Also insulate overhead wires across all elephant habitat and elephant movement zones and remove / dismantle all defunct solar powered fences.
(Dr Mohanty is secretary, Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), E-mail :kachhapa@gmail.com)
