News
Photo focus: Electric fences but no electricity!
In villages bordering elephant-infested jungles, electrified fences have been put up to prevent elephant infiltration. Unfortunately the scheme has not been successful, as the fences have not been maintained after installation.
Safety in numbers: Villagers are forced to travel in groups to ward off wild elephant attacks
The problems facing residents of Gedigaswalana in Sigiriya is a case in point. Villagers complain that though an electric fence was set up two years ago to protect the village from elephants, no electricity has passed through it over the past two years.
Elephants they say, raid the area on a daily basis, creating human-elephant conflict.
The contract to build the electric fence had been undertaken by a former Pradeshiya Sabha member of the area. Villagers allege that the fence had been built without adhering to accepted standards. Some posts had already fallen, they claim. Others have been planted in holes around 6 inches deep!
With the ‘electric fence’ offering no protection, villagers have taken to travel in groups to participate in day-to-day activities.
The people meet at a designated place in the morning and set out together. However, no one dares to step outside after dark.
‘It is like the army moving a convoy during the height of the terrorism problem’, villager Jayasumana Muthubanda remarked.
Villagers claim their pleas for assistance have not been heeded either by wildlife officials nor any other relevant authority.
This electric fence at Gedigaswalana has not been live for over 2 years
Planted in 6 inch holes this ‘electric fence’ has proved largely ineffective.
During the day villagers travel in groups for their safety... they dare not move out after dusk
Elephants enter the village in day time as well as at night