KOCHI: For nature enthusiasts who love to explore the wild, a visit to Anakulam, a hamlet just 40 km off Adimaly near Munnar in Kerala, is a moment to cherish. Absolutely nothing can be compared to the experience of watching wild elephants gathered at Idacholayaar, a tributary of the Periyar to drink water. Big and small elephant herds throng this spot, just 50 m off the road, amid the din of roaring vehicle engines, blinding vehicle headlights and the disturbing crowd.
But a project being implemented by the Mankulam division of the Forest Department has triggered a controversy as it may block the elephant pathway and drive away the pachyderms from their natural water source located on the fringes of the Kuttampuzha forest range. To reach Anakulam by road one has to pass through Idukki district, but it is the border village of Ernakulam district.
“A new kind of fencing is being installed at Anakulam called crash guard rope fencing. It is being erected at a distance of 1.2 km along the left side of Anakulam river from Anakulam to Valiyaparakutty. Once the fencing is completed, the elephants will not enter the human habitat. The total cost for the first phase is `50 lakh. The design has been finalised by the technical committee,” says Mankulam DFO B N Nagarajan.
But green activists are up in arms against the project as the fencing is being erected just 5 m away from Anakulam Oru, a natural spring in the river bed where elephants gather to quench their thirst. Several pits - 4 ft long, 2 ft wide and 5 ft deep - have been dug up 10 ft apart to erect poles for the wire fencing. The situation can be dangerous as tourists may approach the fencing to click selfies with elephants. This may also scare way the herds.