TIRUCHI: The Forest Department has started installing solar electric fence to a length of 10 kilometres along the border of select reserve forests in the district .

The department's action comes in the wake of complaints from villagers that animals including bison and wild boars from the forest cause extensive damage to crops in Kanjanayakanpatti, Chettiapatti, Alagatrupatti, Vellakalpatti, Vallam and Edhumalai. The problem is usually more during summer when animals come out of the wild in large numbers in search of water.The animals uproot groundnut, banana and paddy crops causing huge losses to the villagers. As the traditional method of keeping a watch at nights and chasing away animals failed, the villagers had been asking for an electric fence.

The work has been taken up in the border areas of Thachamalai, Vellakalpatti and Omanthur reserve forests at a cost of around Rs. 16 lakh. The peripherals of Thachamalai will be covered to a length of four kilometres.

A distance of three kilometres along the borders of Vellakalpatti and Omanthur will be fenced. More areas will be covered during the next phase. The department has formed monitoring groups to maintain the fence with financial support of the village forest committee.

The District Forest Officer, K.V. Giridhar, said that the low voltage impulse from the fence would be only a deterrent and not cause any harm to the animals. To prevent the animals from moving out of their habitats, the department would increase the number of percolation ponds in the reserve forest areas.

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