JHAPA, May 10: Residents in border areas, including Bahundangi in Mechinagar, have been living in fear after herds of elephants began crossing in from India every night and feeding on ripe crops.
For the past week, herds of 30 to 40 elephants entering from Indian forests have been damaging maize, betel nut, and other crops in Bahundangi areas of wards 1, 4, and 5 of Mechinagar Municipality.
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Ward Chair of Mechinagar-4, Arjun Karki, said a joint team comprising security personnel, forest guards, and rapid response teams has been mobilized following an all-party meeting aimed at stopping elephant entry, protecting locals, and preventing further crop damage.
According to Karki, around 100 elephants that reportedly arrived from India’s Assam region have been staying in forests across the border during the day. At night, groups of 30 to 40 separate from the main herd and enter Nepal, destroying farmers’ crops.
An all-party meeting was recently held to find ways to stop the elephants from entering Nepal. The meeting decided to coordinate with Indian forest officials and government agencies, restrict public movement near border entry points after 6 pm under the pretext of “watching elephants,” install seasonal fencing around settlements in affected areas, deploy tractors to chase away elephants and block entry routes, provide fuel for tractors through the municipality, and use public announcements urging residents not to move around at night.
Chairperson of the Human-Elephant Conflict Management and Environment Conservation Forum, Hari Prasad Upreti, said work is underway to repair the 18-kilometer solar-powered electric fence installed across three border wards in Bahundangi to prevent elephant intrusion.
He said most of the batteries used in the fence, which was installed about a decade ago, now need replacement. The repair work will be carried out with a budget of Rs 3 million from the National Trust for Nature Conservation, the Division Forest Office, and Mechinagar Municipality.
Former forum chairperson Niraj Ghimire said hundreds of elephants enter Nepal from India every year during harvest season, repeatedly causing loss of property and threatening lives. He called for high-level talks with Indian authorities to stop the herds from crossing the border.
Local resident Gopi Rijal said the elephants have destroyed nearly ripe maize crops and snapped betel nut trees. Over the past few months, elephants have injured three people in Bahundangi and damaged 15 houses.
Rijal also said batteries from the solar-powered border fence had been stolen, creating the need for replacements.
