Arunachal village to tackle power crisis with solar energy

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the
Arunachal Pradesh Environment & Forest department has distributed solar
energy equipment to about 25,000 households in Mayudia village. The package
includes one solar panel, one chargeable multipurpose battery unit, one table
lamp and an emergency light.

‘It would be of great help to our villagers who have been
suffering due to the power crisis. Despite such limitations, they are actively
supporting wildlife conservation in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary,’ village headman
Napi Umpo said. The people of Tiwari Gaon, a fringe village adjacent to Mehao
Sanctuary, have been supporting the bear conservation and rehabilitation
project and Hoolock Gibbon Translocation project for the safety of wildlife.

The distribution was done during ‘Interaction for
Conservation Awareness & Distribution of Solar Equipment’, an event
organized by WTI in collaboration with Department of Environment & Forest,
Arunachal Pradesh, with support from Europaeische Tierschutzstftung (ETS).

‘The community living around any protected area is the first
layer of the protection shield. In order to consolidate the shield, we need to
understand the psychology and the needs of the people. The distribution of
solar sets will further bridge the conservation support and confidence for the
ongoing Asiatic Black bear rehabilitation project and Hoolock Gibbon
Translocation Project in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary,’ said Sunil Kyarong, deputy director
and regional head, Wildlife Trust of India.