Due to lack of fencing around a dump yard close to Marudhamalai forest area in Somayampalayam panchayat, wild elephants that roam near it easily enter and consume waste like napkins and face masks available at the dump site.

According to various reports, the napkins and masks the tuskers consumed are ending up in their dung. Alerted by news reports that keeping this dump yard open will pose a great health risk to the tuskers, Coimbatore District Administration has directed the Somayampalayam panchayat officials to either construct a wall around the dump yard or to erect an electric fence.

The dump yard is spread on 2 acres land and it has a capacity to handle 3 tons of waste. As the elephants roam inside the forest area, they are reportedly attracted to the smell of the waste dumped in the yard, and they enter easily into the premises since there is no enclosure.

Since constructing a wall would be expensive than erecting an electrical fence, the concerned panchayat administration is considering both systems and would choose one soon. The administration as per reports is expecting financial support via the Nammaku Naame scheme (a public - private partnership).