AI-based mechanism to prevent elephant deaths in Madukkarai range

With efforts to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks connecting the state with Kerala in the Madukkarai forest range in Coimbatore proving to be “inadequate”, Tamil Nadu has now turned to an artificial intelligence-based system that will use thermal and normal cameras to help detect the movement of the jumbos near the tracks.

The state government along with the Southern Railway is also building underpasses in select locations along the 13-km stretch on the Pothanur (TN)-Palakkad (Kerala) section to ensure free movement of elephants without them getting killed on the tracks. Eleven tuskers have died after being hit by speeding trains in the above section since 2008.

While one underpass is already functioning allowing elephants to cross from one side to the other, construction on the second underpass is underway and plans are being made to build a couple of them.

As many as 12 towers, each with a height of 20 metres, have been installed at strategic locations along the Ettimadai–Walayar section 500 metres apart from each other covering all areas where elephants are known to cross with their herd. While five AI towers are located on the ‘A’ line, seven towers have been installed on the ‘B’ line, on which trains run at a maximum speed of 130 km per hour.

“All these towers have been fixed with world-class thermal and normal cameras. The towers have been constructed in a way to give 150-metre coverage on either side of the track for early detection of animal movement,” N Jayaraj, District Forest Officer (Coimbatore), told DH.

The trial run of the AI system is underway and cameras with the AI-based surveillance mechanism have already begun recording elephant movements.

Once the cameras detect the movement of an elephant near the track, the AI system will automatically send an alert based on the “sensed data” to the Control Room which will work round-the-clock on a real-time basis. While normal cameras will function during the day, the thermal cameras will get activated at night.

The alert will also be sent in the form of a Short Messaging Service (SMS) to the mobile phones of field staff of the Forest Department, loco pilots, and officials from the Southern Railway.

“The sirens will also go off after detecting the movement of wild animals. The field officers will get into action, and the loco pilot will slow down the train on seeing the animals. We have also placed hooters and digital display alerts for the loco pilots to act well in advance in the advent of any animal presence along the track,” Jayaraj added.

The DFO said the elephants cross the railway tracks at several locations to take rest and sometimes raid the nearby fields. “We have found that they don’t stay in these locations for long. They again cross the track to go back to their habitat. We hope the AI system will help us prevent elephant deaths on the tracks,” Jayaraj added.

The AI system, which has been installed at a cost of Rs 7.24 crore, was mooted after several efforts by the government and railway in the past failed to prevent deaths. The officer said besides underpasses, the department is also ensuring fencing at specific locations alone wherever required to reduce conflicts with animals.

The steps that were taken in the past include restricting the train speed to 45 km per hour on the vulnerable sections of the A and B lines from 6 pm to 6 am, and a speed restriction of 65 km per hour during daytime and 25 km to 35 km for goods trains, and signage boards at suitable locations to sensitise train drivers and also to blow horn continuously.