PALASBARI, Oct 11: Farmers in Rani, a major agricultural belt under the Palasbari Legislative Assembly Constituency in Kamrup district along the Assam-Meghalaya border on the western outskirts of Guwahati, are spending sleepless nights guarding their paddy fields against wild elephants as the standing sali paddy crop approaches maturity.
The lush green paddy fields, the result of months of hard work by farmers, are now facing the threat of elephant raids. With the crop expected to be ready for harvesting in another month or so, villagers have erected makeshift watchtowers in their fields and on trees to protect their harvest.
Farmers have been building such makeshift watchtowers for generations as a traditional means of protecting their crops from wild elephants. At present, more than 100 such structures have been erected by farmers in Rani, while cultivators in neighbouring areas have also adopted the practice to safeguard their paddy fields.
Built with bamboo, timber, branches, and thatch at heights of around 10 to 20 feet, these temporary structures have become a common sight across several villages under the Rani Forest Range. The affected areas include Jaypur, Nalapara, Jarashal Garopara, Belarguri, Challi, Moirapur, Secha, Khapegaon, Ghoraigadhowa Juli, Prankhukua, Mekurikuchi, Hatimaraghuli, Notun Rani, Bamabahar, Purana Sukurberia, Pat Haldia, and Ganapati, among others.
From dusk till dawn, farmers take turns keeping watch from these structures to prevent elephants from entering their fields. Despite their efforts, elephants continue to roam through the agricultural lands, damaging standing paddy crops and causing losses to cultivators.
Farmers guarding the fields carry drinking water and food items such as rice, flattened rice, pitha, puffed rice, biscuits and bananas to sustain themselves during the long hours of vigil.
To drive away the elephants, villagers resort to various traditional methods, including lighting fires, bursting firecrackers, burning tyres, beating tins and bamboo, and using bows and arrows and slingshots. However, these measures have failed to provide lasting relief from the recurring menace.
Human-elephant conflict has become an annual concern in the Rani region during the paddy season, when farmers eagerly await the harvest to meet their household needs and secure their livelihoods.
The residents have urged upon the higher authorities of the forest department to deploy additional teams to protect their paddy fields. They have also sought the intervention of Palasbari MLA Himangshu Shekhar Baishya to ensure that necessary measures are taken to prevent further crop damage.
Farmers said that timely intervention is crucial to save the remaining crop, adding that protecting the harvest from wild elephants will enable them to bring home their hard-earned produce and secure their annual food supply.
By
ANN Service