In Assam, multiple efforts are on to facilitate
peaceful coexistence and to avoid human-elephant conflict, which caused crop damages
and loss to farmers and villagers of the State. As a part of the endeavour,
five solar-powered light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs blinking to a rhythmic
pattern were installed recently.
These LEDs, each 250 metres apart, were installed at
five different locations in the Nayapara and Hastinapur areas of western
Assam’s Baksa district to stop elephants from grazing crop fields and getting
close to human settlements.
Guwahati-based biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak,
which has been actively working for many years, sent its members to survey the
area and understand the elephant movements along with identifying the strategic
locations for installing the 2-watt LED bulbs.
Aaranyak’s Human Elephant Coexistence Project member Anjan
Barua stated, “These LED bulbs illuminate a particular area in a rhythmic sequence,
blinking continuously in the darkness around. The movement of elephants around
human settlements can be restricted as the trunked animals are known to avoid
these lights.”
This initiative, which will benefit about 1,500
households, have been supported by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
and the SBI Foundation. However, there are more ways to deal with the issue.
Alternative crops
Aaranyak’s elephant behaviour experts suggested farmers
to shift from conventional paddy to commercially viable crops that wild
elephants find less palatable. In fact, some of these alternative crops can be
used as bio-fences to prevent elephant herds besides adding to the income.
“Crops such as Assam lemon, ginger, turmeric, and
mustard are less likely to be foraged by elephants. These crops also command
good prices in the market,” suggested Tamulpur district’s Kumarikata Circle agriculture
development officer Bhanita Baruah.
“Our focus is also on sensitising the farmers about
the importance of crop quality and variety, seed treatment, land preparation,
nutrient management, sowing methods, disease control, and the economic
advantages associated with these crops,” she added.
Watch towers
Anjan Barua recommended another “effective” and “tried
and tested way” to ward off elephants from crop fields by building six
permanent watchtowers in the affected areas of the Baksa district “to
facilitate community crop guarding for raising an alarm”.
Not only in Assam, Aaranyak has installed 10 solar street lights in many villages of neighbouring Meghalaya. There, the State Forest Department has had a difficult year due to a spike in deaths brought on by frequent human-elephant conflicts.
State where more than 5,700 elephants are found.
As per data provided in the State Assembly in March, Human-Elephant
Conflicts kill an average of 70 people and 80 elephants annually.
Besides, the data revealed that 1,300 elephants died
between 2001 and 2022. While 509 of these died of natural causes, 261 succumbed
to unknown reasons, 202 were electrocuted, 102 died in train accidents, 65 due
to poisoning, 40 were poached, and 18 died in a bolt of lightning.
Few months back, in Kerala elephant named Arikomban
had grabbed headlines due to the havoc it created at human settlement. The
jumbo had led to Mission Arikomban.
NE Watch Desk
