Chhattisgarh develops app to track elephants, send alerts to villagers

A Chhattisgarh forest department official said registered villagers will get alerts on their phone whenever an elephant herd is within a radius of 10km

Updated on: Jun 7, 2023, 14:36:58 IST

By Ritesh Mishra

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RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh forest department has developed an application to collate data on movement of elephants received from trackers and alert villagers about the movement of elephants in their neighbbourhood.

Chhattisgarh’s forests have about about 300 wild elephants. (HT File Photo)

“The application objective is to supplement the “munaadi” done by elephants trackers so that every person in the affected village is well informed of the presence of elephants in their vicinity through calls and messages on their mobile phone,” said V Srinavasa Rao, in-charge principal chief conservator of forests, Chhattisgarh.

The application has been developed jointly by FMIS (Forest Management Information System) and Wildlife Wing.

Officials said the elephant trackers under the state’s Haathi Mitra Dal scheme will provide the information about the location of elephants, behaviour and other attributes.

Varun Jain, deputy director of Udanti Tiger Reserve, said: “The mobile numbers and GPS location of villagers of the elephant affected areas are being registered using the alert and tracking app. This is being done so that whenever the elephant is within a radius of 10 km , they will get call, SMS, WhatsApp Alerts”.

“The villagers will need to register their mobile numbers with GPS location through the beat guards concerned to receive the alerts,” Jain said.

Officials said that application has various features such as tracking elephant route using time period filter, and enables users to filter elephant herds and routes. The application can be used to collect information and send alerts about other animals as well.

In December 2022, the Chhattisgarh forest department said that human-elephant conflict in the state led to death of 77 elephants and 296 people in five years. The state’s forests have about 300 wild elephants.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ritesh Mishra
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting. His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More

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