Mokokchung, 21 September (MTNews): The Nagaland government is taking action to address the growing problem of human-elephant conflict in the state. During a recent visit to affected areas in Wokha district, Commissioner and Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, Y Kikheto Sema, assured community leaders that a policy and strategy would be developed to mitigate this conflict and promote peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants.
As part of their assessment, officials visited Mekokla village, engaged in discussions with village elders, and later met with the Englan Range Village Council Union at Doyang Hydro. They also interacted with the Yanmhon Area Public Organisation and inspected recent conflict areas in Liphi and Hayiyan villages. A GIS team collected data, including drone images, from these affected regions.
Kikheto Sema emphasized the significance of the issue and highlighted the global elephant population, which exceeds 500,000, with India hosting approximately 30,000 elephants, including over 10,000 in the Northeast region. He noted that Assam has the highest elephant population in the Northeast, followed by Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland, where there are about 446 elephants. The Intanki National Park area, as well as Wokha, Mon, and adjoining districts, face a higher concentration of elephant populations.
Sema acknowledged the challenges faced by department staff and pledged to review manpower and resource allocation to enhance their training and equipment for emergency situations. To address staffing shortages, the department plans to allocate personnel from other divisions to areas with deficits.
He encouraged community leaders to share their experiences and concerns to develop effective strategies and action plans for reducing human-elephant conflicts. In terms of compensation-related applications, Sema assured that they would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities for consideration.
The department aims to formulate a comprehensive plan for mitigating human-elephant conflicts in the state, with a particular focus on Wokha and neighboring districts.