Elephants on Railway Tracks: Seismic Sensors Being Put on Rail Lines to Warn Loco-Pilots; Here's How They Work
At least 50 elephant deaths have been reported in the past three years on railway tracks after being hit by trains across the country.
New Delhi, September 19: At least 50 elephant deaths have been reported in the past three years on railway tracks after being hit by trains across the country. To prevent such accidents, the Ministry of Railways and Indian Railways, as well as animals' rights activists are finding out ways like Plan Bee and also devices. One such device is seismic sensors.
According to a report in The Tribune, the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) has developed a seismic-based sensor system to track the movement of tuskers and warn the loco-pilots (train drivers). One such sensor has been installed along the railway track passing through the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand this month on pilot basis.
How the Sensor Works
The sensor is called the Intelligent Elephant Movement Detection and Alert System. It has been developed by Wildlife Institute of India under a grant from the World Wide Fund for Nature. Under the system, a number of interlinked sensing nodes are placed a few inches below the earth's surface in elephant prone areas. These nodes send information to a server that generates alerts. The sensing nodes and servers are all solar powered.
Plan Bee to Save Elephants
Earlier this month, the Indian Railways also launched "Plan Bee", an initiative to help stop elephants from being hit by trains. Under this, a device has been installed near railway tracks in Guwahati. This device mimics the humming of a swarm of bees, thereby, keeping elephants off tracks to avert accidents.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2018 10:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).