Rourkela: The Rourkela forest division averted train-elephant collision since a year following installation of four AI-enabled elephant protection towers, the first in the state.
The system issued around 880 alerts on elephant movement near railway tracks between Nov 19, 2024 and Dec 31, 2025, preventing 46 incidents and protecting about 270 elephants, divisional forest officer (Rourkela) Jashabanta Sethi said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Sethi said from Nov 26, 2013 to Nov 18, 2024, 5 elephants died in train accidents in the division. The train tracks under south-eastern railway pass through dense forests fragmenting key elephant habitats and posing constant risks to herds moving along traditional corridors. The high-traffic Howrah–Mumbai main line and the Hatia–Bondamunda–Barsuan branch line intersect in Bondamunda, making manual surveillance extremely challenging, he said.
To address this, the division operationalised four AI-based towers from Nov 19, 2024. It was equipped with thermal imaging cameras, high-sensitivity motion sensors, machine learning-based animal recognition and real-time alert transmission to a central command centre.
The towers have been installed at Mahipani and Sonakhan on the Howrah–Mumbai main line, and Dalakudar and Kucheita along the Bondamunda–Barsuan line. A significant incident took place at Kucheita on Nov 26, 2025, where one alert enabled timely intervention, protecting nearly 30 elephants.
According to the DFO, Kucheita recorded 34 preventable incidents, protecting about 233 elephants — the highest among the four towers. Sonakhan reported six incidents protecting 22 elephants, Mahipani four incidents protecting six elephants, and Dalakudar two incidents, thus protecting nine elephants.
On detecting elephant movement near tracks, the AI system immediately sends alerts to the control room at Bandamunda railway ARM office managed by the forest department. Co-ordinated action by Indian Railways ensures speed regulation or temporary halting of trains, preventing collisions.
“This achievement underscores the transformative potential of AI in protecting endangered wildlife while ensuring public safety. It marks a decisive step towards sustainable coexistence between development and conservation,” Sethi said. Encouraged by the success in Rourkela, other forest divisions in Odisha have initiated similar AI-based monitoring systems in elephant-prone regions.
Malay Ray is a journalist who writes on social issues, human inte...
Read MoreMalay Ray is a journalist who writes on social issues, human interest stories, startups, inventions, the environment, women empowerment, and tribal life. He has been writing for The Times of India from Rourkela and covering other areas in the Sundargarh district of Odisha for the past three years.
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