TNPDCL orders safety audit as nine elephants electrocuted in 10 months in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Nine elephants have died of electrocution in Tamil Nadu since October last year, including five in Coimbatore North Electricity Distribution Circle (EDC), prompting the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) to order a comprehensive safety assessment of electrical installations in and around elephant habitats, corridors, and villages in the fringes of forests.

The Forest Department had flagged recurring elephant deaths caused by contact with transformers, high-tension lines, and other electrical infrastructure, and sought urgent measures to prevent further fatalities.

In a letter to the power utility on June 25, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra said a 25-year-old male elephant was electrocuted at Thadagam South Beat in Coimbatore Forest Division on June 23. A preliminary inquiry found that the elephant had approached a transformer installation near the forest boundary and pulled a conductor connected to a high-tension line, resulting in its instantaneous death. Examination of the carcass confirmed electrocution.

The elephant had been using the Thadagam-Veer­apandi landscape and the forest-agriculture interface for several years. The Forest Department pointed out that it had earlier identified low-hanging power lines in the area and Tangedco had carried out rectification work in January. The latest death, however, showed that transformers and associated electrical structures could continue to pose a risk even when conductor clearances conformed to prescribed standards, he said.

The department also reported an elephant death in the Karamadai section of Coimbatore Forest Division on May 8 after contact with a transformer installation and associated electrical infrastructure.

The records referred to in the communication show nine electrocution incidents since October 2025, including deaths reported in SN Palayam, Mettupalayam, Gobi, Sathy, and Dindigul's Oddanchatram. Five of these occurred within Coimbatore North EDC in nine months.

Following the Forest Department's communication, TNPDCL Director (Distribution) sent a memo dated August 27, instructing officials in seven regions and 14 EDCs covering elephant corridor areas to identify vulnerable electrical infrastructure and take corrective measures on priority.

The assessment will cover distribution transformer structures, transformer yards, stay wires, distribution poles, power lines, and other electrical installations located within or adjoining forests, elephant corridors, elephant habitats, and forest-fringe villages.

The utility asked its officials to examine the feasibility of erecting robust elephant-proof fencing around transformers and transformer yards in elephant-prone areas. Physical barriers are also to be considered to prevent wildlife from accessing electrical installations.

It has also ordered joint inspections with the Forest Department to identify and rectify vulnerable infrastructure. Measures include barbed-wire fencing around poles, re-sagging of power lines, conversion of overhead lines to aerial bundled cables, installation of additional poles on long spans to reduce sagging, replacement of damaged poles, and provision of guarding arrangements.

Officials have also been asked to heighten poles, identify leaning poles, clear tree branches, provide coping for poles, and renew stay sets. Rectification work should be taken up immediately wherever vulnerabilities are identified, the senior official instructed.

Also, the officials must record the date of assessment, location, forest area, latitude and longitude, and details of the work completed. The corporation has also sought circle-wise reports on measures taken to prevent electrical accidents involving wildlife.

Considering the large number of deaths, the Coimbatore North EDC has been given special priority and asked to prepare an action plan covering forest divisions and protected areas falling within elephant landscapes under its jurisdiction.

The directive covers 14 EDCs: The Nilgiris, Udumalpet, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Dindigul, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Mettur, and Gobi.

The Forest Department has sought a comprehensive assessment of electrical infrastructure in elephant-use areas, periodic joint inspections and district-wise action plans to identify and mitigate electrocution-prone locations. The latest TNPDCL directive seeks to shift the focus from rectifying individual defects after an accident to identifying and eliminating potential hazards in advance.

ELEPHANTINE TRAGEDY

Date & Location

• Oct 23, 2025 Coimbatore North EDC, SN Palayam

• Oct 29, 2025 Coimbatore North EDC, Mettupalayam

• Dec 4, 2025 Gobi, Bhavan's

• Dec 6, 2025 Gobi, Sathy

• Mar 5, 2026 Gobi, Sathy

• May 8, 2026 Coimbatore North EDC, SN Palayam

• June 23, 2026 Coimbatore North EDC, K Vadamaadurai

• July 17, 2026 Dindigul, Oddanchatram

• July 27, 2026 Coimbatore North EDC, Mettupalayam