Gurugram-Faridabad highway: Nine animal underpasses proposed in Aravallis to reduce road kills

Officials said that the nine spots shortlisted for animal underpasses are located along a 12-kilometre stretch between the Bandhwari landfill and Regional Centre for Biotechnology on the Gurugram-Faridabad highway, as the road fragments the Aravallis

The Gurugram wildlife department has identified nine spots on the Gurugram-Faridabad highway that can be converted into animal underpasses as this busy road passes through the Aravallis, officials of the forest department said on Monday.

Animal underpasses will ensure safe passage of wildlife in the Aravallis, across the Gurugram-Faridabad highway, officials said. (HT Archive)

Officials said that these spots are located along a 12-kilometre stretch between the Bandhwari landfill and Regional Centre for Biotechnology on the highway.

MS Malik, the chief conservator of forests for the Gurugram circle, said that underpasses can help mitigate man-animal conflict on the stretch. “We have identified around seven to nine points on the Gurugram-Faridabad highway, which are either stormwater outlets that are not in use or other structures which can be used as animal underpasses, after proper fencing is done along with roads. We will be meeting with the Public Works Department this week to finalise the points and work is likely to start from next month,” Malik said.

The Gurugram-Faridabad highway is a busy stretch that fragments the Aravalli forests, due to which several road kills have been reported.

In June 2021, a two-year-old female leopard was found dead on the Pali-Surajkund Road near Gurugram, with autopsy reports suggesting it could have been hit by a vehicle. This was the seventh death of a leopard to be reported from this region since 2015. The stretch from where the leopard’s carcass was recovered is an ecologically sensitive area, as it is flanked by the Asola Bhati wildlife sanctuary on both sides.

Sunil Harsana, a Faridabad-based wildlife researcher, said, “The points which have been identified for wildlife underpasses can work really well, provided proper fencing is done to stop the animals from going to the road and ensure that the underpass is the only outlet available for the animal. Some of the spots are close to places where leopard deaths have been reported earlier, so if made properly, the underpasses can serve the purpose. When the roads will be blocked with fencing, smaller animals or herbivores will start using the underpasses and leopards which follow these animals as prey, will also start using them.”

In 2017, the Wildlife Institute of India, in a study titled ‘Mapping landuse/landcover Patterns in Aravallis Haryana’ concerning the status of key wildlife species, had mentioned, “Highways passing through the wildlife habitats have adversely affected the fauna in these forests. Fast moving vehicles kill these animals when they move across these road stretches. The Gurugram-Faridabad expressway is one such road in Aravallis.”

Earlier this year, in August, the wildlife department had decided to convert three stormwater outlets on the National Highway-48 (NH-48) into animal underpasses, to provide safe passage to wild animals and reduce road kills and conflicts. Two of the underpasses are located near Panchgaon and the third is near the National Security Guard outpost in Manesar. Officials said that two passages are of one-metre diameter, and one is a box passage structure with dimensions of 1.5mX1.5m.