ECRL: PHYSICAL BARRIERS IN KEMASUL FOREST RESERVE TO PREVENT HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) line along the Kemasul Forest Reserve in Temerloh, Pahang will include elephant barrier fencing on both tracks to prevent human-elephant conflicts in the area.

Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), the project owner of the ECRL, said that discussions with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) concluded that such fencing is necessary as the route through the forest reserve crosses several agricultural plantations and forest-edge areas which serve as elephant habitats.

“The construction of elephant barrier fencing is a mitigation measure to prevent elephants from entering the ECRL railway area, which could lead to accidents,” MRL said in a statement today.

MRL said that Perhilitan also recommended constructing a mock-up of the fence at the actual location to test its durability and effectiveness before finalising the design, which was conducted on Oct 23 and involved two elephants.

A video of the elephants pushing against the fence structure during the durability test recently went viral on social media.

MRL added that ECRL and Perhilitan would hold further discussions on the test findings soon.

The statement also noted that ECRL’s main contractor, China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd, signed a supplementary agreement with Perhilitan in 2022 to implement a Wildlife Management Plan to enhance wildlife conservation and mitigation efforts.

The 665-kilometre alignment, spanning Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, includes 41 tunnels, approximately 145 kilometres of elevated sections and 28 wildlife crossings at strategic locations to mitigate environmental impacts during construction.

-- BERNAMA