Farmers in Talavadi in Erode want elephant-proof trenches to be deepened

ERODE farmers seek 10-m deep trenches to prevent elephants from straying out of forests, citing ineffective efforts of Forest Dept. S. Manickam of Talavadi Taluk Farmers' Association blames poor maintenance of EPTs for crop raids and human-animal conflict. He emailed District Collector to intervene for necessary action.

 Farmers in Talavadi hills, whose crops were raided frequently by wild animals, wanted the elephant-proof trenches (EPTs) on forest boundaries to be 10-metres in depth to prevent elephants from straying out of forests.

S. Manickam, coordinator of Talavadi Taluk Farmers’ Association, told The Hindu that farmers face huge loss due to crop damages caused by wild elephants and the efforts of the Forest Department to prevent elephants from straying out of forests have proved ineffective.

“A permanent solution would be to dig the trench for 10-metres in depth and install rail barricades on the forest borders as done in Karnataka,” he said.

The farmer said increase in depth of the trenches had prevented elephants and wild boars from entering farm lands in the neighbouring Punajanur village in Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve at Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka and had proved effective.

Mr. Manickam blamed the Forest Department for poor maintenance of EPTs in Talavadi hills that failed to prevent animals from raiding crops all these years.

“Except for solar-powered fences for less than 10 km in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), crop damages, cattle kills by wild animals and human-animal conflict continues,” he said and added that the existing trenches are like waterways.

The farmer sent an email to the District Collector and sought his intervention for necessary action.