Solar-powered fences are keeping elephants off schools in some human-animal conflict (HEC) zones in Assam.
The fear of running into elephants often made parents dissuade their children from attending classes at Kalioni Bagan Lower Primary School in eastern Assam’s Golaghat district. Damage caused to the school by herds on several occasions justified their dread.
“Wild elephants roam nearby even during the daytime, but a 400-metre-long solar fence installed around our school is preventing them from coming in. Without this fence, it would have been difficult to impart regular education to more than 90 students,” Rupkanta Duarah, the school’s head teacher, said.
Apart from 38 lower primary and 15 pre-primary students, the school has 38 children at the Anganwadi centre on its premises.
The fence was installed by Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation group, in August 2022. Mr. Duarah said it has withstood several attempts by the elephants to enter the school premises.
The school is off the route elephants use to move from a forest inside the Gutibari Tea Estate nearby to the Kalioni River. “As soon as the elephants appear during school hours, we switch on the solar fence’s energy station to keep them off the school premises and continue with the classes,” he said.
The Golaghat school is one of several schools in HEC areas where Aaranyak set up solar fences in consultation with the respective local administration, the school management committee, and local communities.
Five such solar-fenced schools in the Bhergaon Development Block of north-central Assam’s Udalguri district featured in NITI Aayog’s report on ‘Improving the Education Key Performance Indicators in Aspirational Districts and Blocks’.
The report says: “This eco-friendly fence emits a mild electric pulse, harmlessly deterring elephants, ensuring safety. Powered by solar energy, it is a sustainable, cost-effective measure balancing human and wildlife needs.”
Wild elephants damaged the Thalung LP School in Udalguri’s Kalikhola several times before an 180-metre-long solar-powered fence was erected around it in September 2024. “A part of the school damaged by the elephants remains unrestored, but the fence is helping 30 students attend regular classes,” Harilal Sarkar, the school’s teacher, said.
The situation is similar for the teachers and students of Bhumi LP School, No. 2 Bolatar Dara Chuba LP School, No. 331 Nonke Sonajuli LP School, No. 2 LP School, No. 2 Tankibasti LP School, and Kashibari Kochpara LP School in the Udalguri district bordering Bhutan.
Aaranyak’s Anjan Baruah said the fences were installed around the schools in HEC areas with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and the SBI Foundation.
“The wild elephants, lured by the smell of rice stored for midday meals for students, tend to force their way into such schools. The fences are deterring them now,” Mr. Baruah said.
