AI warning system to end jumbo deaths on tracks

COIMBATORE: Minister of Forests M Mathiventhan on Friday launched in Coimbatore an Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled early warning system, implemented at a cost of Rs 7.24 crore, to detect movement of wild elephants and send alerts to prevent jumbos getting hit by trains.

The cameras have been fixed on high-rise towers in 12 strategic locations on the sides of ‘A’ and ‘B’ lines of the railway track connecting Tamil Nadu with Kerala through the Madukkarai forest area in Coimbatore.

“Eleven elephants have lost their lives since 2008 in train hit incidents. This AI technology, adopted for the first time in the country, will help reduce such deaths. Apart from railway tracks, 9,028 instances of elephant intrusions in human settlements were recorded between 2021 and 2023 in the Coimbatore division. The AI-enabled intervention will help on this front too” Mathiventhan said.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest said around 130 trains pass through the railway lines covered under the first-of-its-kind project and 1,000 elephant crossings have been recorded on the tracks alone every year.

“The AI technology will be immensely helpful in preventing train hits as the elephants have adapted to traditional methods like trench and solar fencing. Drones will also be used in monitoring the elephant movement,” she said.

The AI cameras will send alerts to railway officials, forest department officials, and control room if an elephant is detected near the tracks. This will enable the forest department to take up driving operations and alert the loco staff to slow down the train to prevent hitting an elephant, said officials.