For decades Wokha district has been grappling with the issue of human-elephant conflict. The wild giants wander into the fields and villages looking for food, threatening everything on their path. The villagers are mostly left to fend for themselves and during the futile attempt to stand up to charging elephants, many lives have also been lost.
In the district where most citizens are farmers and depend on agriculture for livelihood, the wild elephants destroy one or the other field every year. This struggle is real and it is on a rise, farmers informed.
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In the latest incident of human-elephant conflict, two wild elephants were foraging near New Wokha Village and Niroyo village on 7 September 2023.
Nzanthung Ngullie, Secretary of Village Development Board (VDB), Niroyo Village informed Nagaland Tribune that the wild animals entered the village for the first time. He also informed that six fields including three sheds (huts) and harvested grains were destroyed by the elephants. Ngullie added that though no human was injured, as the elephants were still in the area, they fear that the elephants might re-appear and cause more damages. There is a threat to the villagers and that the farmers are on the watch, he said.
He also mentioned that the Forest Department conducted a survey on 11 September after the villagers notified them about the incident and assured to help in all possible way.
In another location, Mhonjan Kikon, New Wokha Village Chairman informed Nagaland Tribune that they face the same issue every year except last year. Not only paddy fields but plantations were affected and houses were also destroyed, he stated. Kikon said that in the past, the village had submitted reports to the District Administration as well as the Government but the villagers received compensation only once when Dr TM Lotha was a Minister.
Although there has been no conflict in the recent past, the villagers are always on high alert, keeping a watch for the elephants to avoid more destruction, Kikon informed.
On 12 September 2023, the Forest Department and Tiyi Wildlife Conservation & Animal-Human Control Society conducted a joint meeting to look for solutions that benefits all parties involved.
Subsequently, today, 14 September 2023, the Tiyi Wildlife Conservation & Animal-Human Control Society, with the assistance of the Forest Department, initiated a road clearance and repair project in Soyi area, under New Wokha Village.
In this project, a section of NH 61 spanning 2 kilometres in the Soyi Area was cleared and repaired. The purpose of this road clearance was to facilitate the transportation of farmers’ produce to market before it could be disrupted by the presence of the jumbos. It should be noted that not only farmers from within the village, but also those from nearby towns, cultivate paddy fields in Soyi Village.
Additionally, the Forest Department provided a JCB excavator for the road clearance process, and the same JCB was used to transport the paddy in order to assist the farmers.
Meanwhile, on 12 September 2023, MLA Achumbemo Kikon raised the issue of human-elephant conflict in Wokha district during the 2nd Session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly. Minister of Forest, Environment & Climate Change, and Village Guards CL John, in his reply to the MLA made a distasteful remark that hurt the sentiments of not just the people of the district but the whole state.
The minister apologised for his insensitive comments on Thursday.
“I on my personal behalf apologise to the victim affected people in my way of communication, talking or hurting their sentiment while giving report yesterday. I do-not meant any intention, I also sincerely and deeply regret,” CL John said.
MLA Achumbemo Kikon agreed that the comments were ‘out of context’ but as he had already apologised in the assembly, the matter should rest there.
He also mentioned with optimism that on the matter of human-elephant conflict, the government has given him a reply ensuring that there will be short term as well as long term policies.
Read more: Minister CL John apologizes for insensitive comments in NLA
