Double Track at 'Deepor Beel' Multiplies Mistakes of the Past

By: Paul G. Keil Ph.D.

The first railway line at Deepor Beel was built on ignorance. During the planning stage, it was decided that the location of the track was the most environmentally sound option for a developing Guwahati city. In the 1989 “Report on Broad Gauge Railway Line through Dipar Beel”, the Assam Chief Secretary expressed his belief that "the habitat of the elephant and other animals will not be further affected… [that] the area is already populated by settled villagers, encroachers …[and] animals avoid the area and live in the interior.”[1]

We now know this belief was ill-informed and untrue. Despite growing settlements, a busy road, and trains that pass every 40 minutes, wild elephants persistently cross through Chakardeo village to visit Deepor Beel. For generations, herds have come to feed, bathe, drink and socialise in the wetland. The increasing frequency of their visitations suggests that Deepor Beel is essential to local elephant survival. Surprisingly, there have been no scientific studies that explains the exact reasons why.

We cannot claim ignorance about the planned construction of the second track. It is publicised that fourteen elephants have died here due to trains. And it is right to be concerned that a second track will cause more disturbance and death to elephants. One major problem is that a double track will threaten the current system that keeps the corridor open and protects elephant lives.

Fourteen elephants have died in eighteen years since trains began operation in 2001. Herds cross to the wetland almost once a week. The number of collisions should be higher. Most elephants travel safely because of a system established after the first train collision. This system has prevented countless elephant deaths, and works through the cooperation of local villagers, forest department officials, railway division officers, and train drivers.

Central to the system’s success are on-the-ground local villagers and forest officers. Every evening these “elephant escorts” stay awake all night, waiting for any signs of elephants. They have specialised, local knowledge of elephant movement and behaviour. If a herd appears, the escorts will call in an alert that eventually results in the train being ordered to slow down. Reduced speed gives the escorts more time to predict when it is safe for the elephants to cross, and for the elephants to respond if a train is nearby when crossing.

A second track will increase the number of trains passing through the area. This increase will dramatically reduce the time available for an elephant to access the wetland. It will limit opportunities to cross, make the passage riskier, and heighten the pressure on escorts to coordinate herd movement with the arrival of a train. A second track also increases the level of risk if the system breaks down. Elephants are silent and clever – what if they suddenly appear without giving notice? What if there is no mobile reception to send an alert in time?

With a double track, trains will come from two different directions simultaneously. Imagine the added panic in a critical moment, if a herd was making its crossing and there were two trains coming from both sides. Also, this complication will produce added logistical problems and confusion for both the on-the-ground escorts and the railway division officers. A second track does not merely double but multiplies the chance for error and elephant deaths.

We must be careful not to be influenced by claims of technological solutions to train-elephant collisions. Pilot studies of recorded bee sounds to deter elephants from crossing at Deepor Beel were unsuccessful. There is no scientific evidence that Asian elephants are scared of bees. Conservationists have proposed surveillance equipment or vibration and heat sensors near railways. These tools will not necessarily detect when these curious animals choose a different path, or when a single tusker travels quietly through the landscape. Technology can provide complementary support, but is not a magic fix to the dangers of a double track.

To protect elephant lives at Deepor Beel we need people on-the-ground, and we need to maintain and build upon the current system that keeps the elephant corridor open. That system is barely supported now: escorts are under-paid, under-staffed, under-resourced and exhausted from their difficult and under-recognised work. A second railway line further jeopardises that system and elephant lives.

We know there are many other reasons why the double track should not be built. Local wildlife such as jungle cats, multiple species of frogs and snakes, and endangered vultures will increasingly be killed by trains. Dwindling population of migratory birds will be further disturbed. The overwhelming noise pollution that affects Chakardo villagers will intensify.

And we certainly know the original track should not have been built at Deepor Beel in the first place. It was an action done in ignorance, and the Railway Department should not further build upon these mistakes. They need to listen to the recommendations of the National Greens Tribunal and must try to work harder and deal with the fact that elephants have shared this area with people for a very long time. Trains cannot be allowed to ride roughshod over and disregard local human and animal lives. Deepor Beel and its elephants are a treasure of Guwahati, Assam, and in my opinion, planet Earth, and we all need to work together to protect them.

About the author: Dr Paul Keil is an anthropologist who has conducted research near Deepor Beel in 2013 & 2014, studying human-elephant relations. Keil is coming forward to support the Inside Northeast article #LetsSaveDeeporBeel

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