As part of its community-centric efforts for mitigation of human-elephant conflict (HEC) and facilitating coexistence in HEC-affected areas, biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak recently installed 25 solar streetlights (SSLs) in certain HEC hotspots in Goalpara district of Assam and Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills.
These solar streetlights are expected to help villagers residing in HEC hotspots in Goalpara and WGH to sight wild elephants at night from a safe distance so that they can either avoid coming too close to these animals or retreat to safer places in time.
Installation of solar streetlights with cooperation from the HEC-affected communities has been one of the measures taken by Aaranyak in the contiguous Goalpara-WGH landscape over the last few years for mitigation of the conflict. The HEC-affected landscape is spread across Assam-Meghalaya state boundary in the geographical area.
Twenty-five solar street lights were installed on March 19 and 20 with active community cooperation.
Twenty solar streetlights were installed in 13 villages located in Goalpara and five (installed with the support of the Darwin Initiative) in West Garo Hills – in Khokapara (Lahapara), Chisikgre (Belguri) and Photamati under Holaidonga Forest Range
