RANCHI: Amid the rising threat of wild elephants at Chakulia in Jamshedpur, leading to loss of lives and property, the Forest Department has initiated a large-scale containment drive.
As part of the effort to prevent elephants from straying into Jharkhand, a 20-kilometre-long trench is being dug along the Sardia border with West Bengal.
Notably, elephant herds frequently wander into nearby villages from forest areas, causing significant damage to crops and homes. According to officials, the primary objective behind this initiative is to confine elephant movement to a specific route (corridor).
The trenches are being dug wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, designed specifically to prevent elephants from crossing. The trench will begin at Sardia and extend to sensitive border areas such as Dakshinsol, Pakuria and Morabanghi.
Jamshedpur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) said elephant entry from West Bengal into Jharkhand occurs predominantly through this region. To curb the influx and channel elephants along a designated path, a trench of about 20 km is being excavated, he said.
“In a bid to curb man-animal conflict in the region, a trench along the West Bengal border in Jharkhand’s Chakulia is being dug to prevent wild elephants from entering villages. The trench is 3 metres wide at the top, one metre at the bottom and 2.5 metres deep,” said Jamshedpur DFO Shaba Alam Ansari, adding that these are called elephant-proof trenches.
The DFO added that to keep elephants within forest areas, ponds are being dug and saplings planted to ensure adequate food and water supply. He reiterated that the primary aim is to confine elephant movement, as they often stray into villages via forest paths, damaging crops and homes.
According to forest officials, the trench work is underway on a war footing using JCB machines, with a specialised excavation technique being employed. Once completed, elephants will be left with only select entry points into Jharkhand, enabling forest teams to monitor and intercept them before they reach residential areas.
Officials believe the 20-km trench will provide long-term relief to dozens of villages in the Chakulia block, protecting them from elephant incursions.
Earlier, a similar trench was dug near the Bengal border in the Amlagora-Nimpura area of Lodhasholi Panchayat in Chakulia. Encouraged by its success, the initiative is now being expanded on a much larger scale.