Elephant raids leave Assam farmers facing crop loss and fear

Frequent elephant incursions have turned life in parts of West Karbi Anglong district into a nightly struggle for survival. Villages under Kheroni Police Station — including Jiribasa, Hawaipur, Belbari, Mailoo, Dhikreng, Kheroni Nepali Basti, Guhagaon, Majbasti and Lambapathar — are facing regular raids by wild elephant herds that destroy crops and property before moving on towards neighbouring Hojai district.

Farmers say the herds, which once appeared occasionally, now arrive almost every evening and early morning. “We can’t predict where they’ll come next,” said a farmer from Hawaipur whose paddy field was flattened overnight. “We light fires and beat drums, but they don’t stop.”

The elephants have destroyed paddy, vegetables and sugarcane across large stretches of farmland, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of small and marginal farmers just before harvest season. Many say they are running out of food and options as their fields lie ruined.

Residents allege that repeated complaints to the Forest Department and district administration have brought little response. They are demanding immediate action, including the deployment of permanent anti-depredation teams, improved corridor management, and an urgent revision of compensation rates that farmers say fail to cover their losses. Delays in disbursing compensation — often stretching for years — have worsened frustration in the affected villages.

As darkness falls, the sound of firecrackers and shouting echoes through the Kheroni area — a nightly attempt to drive away elephants that few believe will succeed. For many here, the conflict between humans and wildlife has become an unending reality marked by fear, loss, and uncertainty.