Activists, forest officials begin survey to map roadkills on NH-61

Following a sharp rise in incidence of road accidents killing animals in the Kalyan-Malshej Ghat highway stretch, animal activists along with NGOs and forest officials have begun a detailed survey of roadkills data to build a case for proposing an underpass or an overpass in the accident prone zones

Kalyan

NGO volunteers, forest officials and the police at a For Animal Road Kill (FARK) meeting before the survey to collect data on roadkills and accident prone spots on Kalyan-Malshej Ghat stretch of National Highway 61 (HT PHOTO)

Following a sharp rise in incidence of road accidents killing animals in the Kalyan-Malshej Ghat highway stretch, animal activists along with NGOs and forest officials have begun a detailed survey of roadkills data to build a case for proposing an underpass or an overpass aimed at animal protection in the accident prone zones of the stretch.

In the last 10 days, the data collection survey has recorded thirteen accidents cases in which animals were killed.

The initiative named For Animal Road Kills (FARK) will keep a tab on accidents of animals including wild animals on the Kalyan-Malshej national highway. Since March 3 till March 14, at least 13 cases of animal deaths in accidents have been reported on the stretch.

“There is a lot of work being done on widening and concretisation of the highways. The road conditions will be improve in future, but no policy provisions exist for animals and their safety. Lots of accidents of animals go unreported and there are no measures taken. With this intiative, we will first identify such spots where these accidents are takin place to help us take appropriate measures in future,” said Avinash Harad, founder of NGO Ashwamedh Foundation. The initiative is also supported by Manushrushti foundation and Intach Thane chapter 2.

On Tuesday morning, a mongoose was killed in an accident at Saralgaon on the highway. The group received the information and documented the details. “We have publicised a dedicated telephone number (8108208934) for people to contact us with pictures and GPS location of any accidents they come across on the highway. We then inform FARK members to reach out and collect all the necessary information. We have noticed that Mamnoli is one village where such incidents are quite common,” said Harad.

As per the group, there are several wild animals that cross the highway stretch and there are no dedicated crossings, which leads to fatal accidents. While there is no mechanism to deal with such cases, they are mostly unreported.

“These accidents are a threat to the wildlife and this cannot continue to happen. There should be some way out so that we can protect them. We have seen cases where animals are left dead and unclaimed on the road for several days. We can even save some animals if they emergency medical care is provided after an accident,” said an officer of Kalyan forest department, who did not wish to be named.

After data collection survey generates a substantial sample and mapping of accident prone spots, the group will approach the authorities with measures that can be implemented to curb the roadkills. Out of the 13 cases reported in just 10 days, all the animals were dead. It included a jungle cat, a rabbit, a mongoose and mammals.

“Reptiles are the most common that meet with accidents on the highway. Earlier we have come across cases of leopards, sambars, nilgais too. In most cases, the animals are hit by speeding vehicles and are found dead,” said Harad.