KOCHI: Illegal electric fencing, installed to stop wild animals from destroying crops, has claimed three lives in the past one week. In Palakkad, two police personnel died when they accidentally came in contact with a live electric fencing kept to trap wild pigs.
According to officers attached to the forest department and electrical inspectorate, use of illegal electric fencing is rampant in the peripheries of forest areas. As many as seven people have died due to electrocution from fencing in the state during the past one year. Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki are the districts that report frequent incidents of electrocution and Palakkad alone reported four cases in 2021. There are allegations that failure of forest department in enforcing the restrictions on installing electric fencing leads to such incidents.
“Electric fencing has been installed around farmlands in Sholayur, Kulukkur and Anakatti areas of Attappadi bordering Tamil Nadu. These people don’t care to switch off the power line even during daytime and the live wire has caused many incidents of cattle death in the past. Since children of tribal families roam around the area, chances of human casualty are very high,” said P V Suresh of Vayalur near Sholayur.
Maruthu, 68, a resident of Ookkalimattom tribal colony in Sholayur had died after getting electrocuted from the wire fencing of his own farmland on March 9, 2021. “My husband had taken on lease a farmland adjacent to our property and was cultivating plantains. We installed the electric fencing as wild pigs and elephants frequently raid the crops. He had forgotten to switch off the power line and got electrocuted as he crossed the line. I rushed to the spot as the dog was barking restlessly. and saw him lying on the line. Though I switched off the line immediately, he could not be saved.,” said Lakshmi, wife of Maruthu.
“We will conduct a probe into the violation of guidelines for installing fencing and suggest other remedial measures,” said state chief electrical inspector V C Anilkumar. There has been an increase in incidents of wildlife casualty due to electrocution over the years but the forest department is hiding the figures, alleged activist M N Jayachandran.
“The forest department had submitted a report in parliament on electrocution reported in Kerala during four years, from 2018 to 2021. But there is not a single incident of death of wild pig mentioned in the report. As many as 28 wild pigs had died of electrocution in Idukki in 2020, but these had not been reported. Wild elephants were electrocuted after coming in contact with electric fencing in Munnar and Nedumangad. The department does not have figures on the number of illegal electric fencing. The government should slap murder charges on the accused in such incidents,” he said.
“There is a lack of awareness among the farmers on the perils involved. We have found cases where people give power connection to the fencing from the power provided for motor pumps. In some remote areas, people even draw power from KSEB line directly for fencing,” said Palakkad electrical inspector O K Arya.
As per the guidelines, people who are installing electric fencing should submit an application and erect the fence only under the supervision of an authorised person. “Electric fences should have energisers that convert power into high-voltage pulses. The pulses are released one in a second which will ensure the safety of the people who come in contact with the line. However, many people erecting electric fencing connect power line directly, which causes death,” said Wayanad electrical inspector V Sumesh.
“The electric fences should be installed in a manner that minimises danger to people and animals. The wires should be isolated from the ground. People who erect the fencing should obtain no objection certificate from the authorities concerned if it is crossing public or private property,” said Idukki electrical inspector Rajesh Babu.
Guidelines Of Electrical Inspectorate
