Plan Bee

The Plan Bee was launched by Northern Frontier Railway. It aims to keep the elephants away from the train tracks. The plan recently won Best Innovation Award from the Indian Railways.

What is Plan Bee?

The plan installs unique devices along the railway tracks. These devices create the buzzing sounds of swarming bees. Elephants get irritated to the buzzing sounds of bees. And try to stay away from the sound. Thus, by creating the buzzing sound, the device keeps the elephants away from the track. The sound produced by the device is audible from a distance of 400 metres.

About the device

The device was first installed near Kamakhya station in Assam. And today the devices are installed in more than 56 locations. These places are under the jurisdiction of the North Frontier Railways. So far, Plan Bee has saved 950 elephants.

Need for Plan Bee

According to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, between 2009 and 2021, more than 186 elephants were killed in train accidents. Of these, Assam accounted for the largest number of elephant deaths due to train accidents. It was followed by West Bengal and Odisha.

Other measures to protect elephant deaths due to train accidents

The vegetation along the tracks are cleared frequently. This provides a better view to the loco pilot (the train driver). Signage boards are used to alert the loco pilot about the elephant zones. The Railways create overpass and underpass for the safe passage of elephants. The loco pilots have been instructed to reduce the train speed in vulnerable stretches between sunset and sunrise.

What is Eco – Bridge solution to prevent elephant deaths by train accidents?

The eco bridges are natural corridors. They are links in habitat that connect two larger wildlife zones. They are usually constructed in elephant corridors. Sometimes, the road and railway construction through the elephant corridor obstructs the movement of elephants from one habitat to the other. In such cases, a natural link over or under the road and railway track will help them cross the corridor.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2022

Category: Environment Current Affairs