The Forest Department has received approval from the Madras High Court to proceed with its steel wire fence project near Thondamuthur in the Coimbatore district. The project, which aims to prevent wild elephants from encroaching on human settlements, was given the green light on September 12.
A senior official from the Forest Department revealed that surveillance cameras will be installed along the entire 10 km stretch of the pilot project, in accordance with the court’s directive. The cameras will be used to study the elephants’ reactions to the fence. Prior to the project’s announcement, the department had already installed some cameras to observe the elephants’ movement patterns in the area.
The location near Thondamuthur was selected for the pilot project due to its history of elephant incursions into human settlements and agricultural fields within the Coimbatore Forest Division.
The department has previously found success with a similar steel wire fence along the forest boundary in Hosur. Surveillance footage showed that the flexible fencing effectively prevented elephants from crossing, without causing them harm. The steel wire fence is also more cost-effective than rail fences made from old rails, which have been known to cause accidents when elephants attempt to cross.
The steel wire fence will be constructed using high-tension steel wire, supported by reinforced concrete poles standing 10 feet tall. The fence design allows smaller animals, such as deer and leopards, to pass through the gaps. Another advantage of the steel wire fence over rail barriers is its ability to be easily opened in case of an emergency.
The Coimbatore district administration has been tasked with identifying garbage dumping sites along the forest boundaries. A former dumping site at the Maruthamalai foothills, which was closed in May following the death of a pregnant wild elephant that had consumed food waste and plastics, has already been fenced off with steel wire to prevent further dumping and elephant incursions.
The steel wire fence project near Thondamuthur was announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on November 6, 2024. Although initial work began earlier this year, the project was temporarily halted after a Chennai-based activist raised concerns in the High Court. However, following an inspection of the area by a special Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy, amici curiae, and other stakeholders on September 5, the Bench lifted the status quo ante on September 12, allowing the department to resume work.
