The Divisional Forest Office had mobilized patrol teams to protect the rice crop from elephants and minimize damage.
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More than Rs 13.7 million in relief has been provided to families affected by wild elephants in Jhapa.
Division Forest Officer Himal Pathak informed that so far in the current fiscal year, 883 elephant victims in the district have been provided with Rs 13.738 million in relief. This year, four people have lost their lives in elephant attacks in the district, while one elephant was found dead, he said.
Two people who were severely injured in the elephant attack have been provided Rs 400,000, the families of the four deceased have been provided Rs 400,000, 100,000 for damage to livestock, Rs 145,00,764 for damage to stored food of 184 families, Rs 37,22,300 for damage to 235 household plots, and Rs 40,00,62,000 for damage to the crops of 448 farmers, according to the Division Forest Office, Jhapa.
Among those provided relief, 702 people were from the last fiscal year 2081/82, while 181 people who were victims of elephant attacks in the current fiscal year have been provided relief. An additional 11 families have been recommended for relief of Rs. 21 lakh. Pathak said that they will also be provided relief in a few days.
To facilitate the relief process, arrangements have been made for victims to apply from the sub-division offices located in four places in the district. Pathak said that wildlife victims from Mechi sub-division, Kankai sub-division, Jalthal sub-division and Damak sub-division can apply for relief provided by the government.
Forest office employees say that relief could not be distributed on time due to the cumbersome relief process. The families of those who lost their lives due to elephant attacks are being provided Rs. 1 million each, the injured a maximum of Rs. 200,000, and compensation is being provided based on the damage in cases of damage to livestock, crops and physical structures.
Patrol to reduce damage
The Division Forest Office had mobilized a patrol team to protect the rice crop from elephants and minimize damage. Due to this, there was less damage this year compared to the previous year, said Forest Officer Pathak. 'We had mobilized a team of forest guards to protect the rice crop and prevent the entry of elephants from India,' he said, 'due to which there has been less damage than the previous year.' Now, he said, patrols will be conducted again during the maize season.
A team of seven armed forest guards with a vehicle has been patrolling the Mechi River in Mechinagar to prevent the entry of elephants, provide information about the entry of elephants, and return the elephants. Despite the activities such as electric fencing, construction of biological paths, elephant enclosures (construction of ponds) in forest areas, planting fruit trees, patrolling, etc. to reduce human-elephant conflict in the district, human-elephant conflict has not been reduced.
