Mega projects in Arunachal Pradesh leading to rising human-elephant conflicts: Study

Guwahati: From mega hydro power projects to expansion of highways and rapid change in the pattern of land use and human settlements: Arunachal Pradesh has seen all of these in the past couple of decades. This sudden push towards revamping infrastructure in the country's eastern frontier state has seriously disturbed the habitats of Asian elephants--the most threatened elephant species globally--leading to increasing incidents of human-elephant conflicts.

A first ever comprehensive study on Managing Human Elephant Conflicts in Arunachal Pradesh has revealed that the state has registered 1,503 cases of human-elephant conflicts between 2007 and 2024--91 per cent of which resulted in crop loss and human casualties in 2 per cent incidents. More than 80 per cent of such incidents were reported in the past 10 years, between 2014 and 2024. Such conflicts have also led to the death of 17 elephants in six years (2018-2024), all due to electrocution and at least three human casualties every year.

The disturbance caused by infrastructure projects seems to have led to a 78 per cent rise in distribution pattern of the elephants, from 7,001 sq.kms in 2019 to 12,446 sq kms. in 2024. "The evidence of increasing distributional range of elephants in Arunachal Pradesh could signify changes in the interface between people and elephants. The indirect evidence of elephant presence collected by the forest department indicates that the elephant range in the state extends beyond the protected areas," said the report prepared by World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) and Arunachal Pradesh forest department. The report was released on May 25.

Citing an example of how a hydro power project constructed by the NHPC (National Hydro Power Corporation Limited) on the Subansiri river disturbed an elephant corridor that connected elephant populations of Panir Reserve Forest (Banderdewa Forest Division, Arunachal Pradesh) and Dulung Reserve Forest with Subansiri Reserve Forest (Lakhimpur Forest Division, Assam) across the Subansiri River. "The ancillary development, such as project township and roads, has also changed the land use in the corridor region. In addition, sand mining along the river has further hindered elephant movement through this corridor in recent times."

The expansion of the National Highway-13 from Nechipu to Hoj, passing through Seppa, Khodaso, and Sagalee in 2023 and two hydro power projects in the Ranga river and Pare river may have disrupted the movement of elephants in the area. "According to local forest officials, a group of 25 to 30 elephants has become isolated in a small patch of forest on the left bank of the Pare river, on the northern side of NH 13. These elephants frequently come into conflict with nearby villages, including Ompuli, Khyunglo, Dapo, and the 47 and 52 km Camps. Furthermore, movement restriction and isolation also have implications for long term viability of the elephant sub- population here," said the report.

Even as the Centre is fast tracking several mega hydro power projects to meet the country's rising demand for renewable energy, environmentalists have been warning about the adverse impact of such mega projects on the ecology in Arunachal Pradesh, a state having 79 per cent forest cover.

Hotspots:

The study identified Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare, East Siang, Lohit, Changlang, and Tirap districts as the hotspots of human-elephant conflicts, representing about 75 per cent of the total conflict incidents.

Highlighting the rapid change in land use pattern and human settlements as other major push factors, the study found that human settlements in Changlang, East Siang, Lohit, Pakke Kessang, Papumpare and Tirap district witnessed increase ranging between 30 and 87 per cent (2018-2023) and decrease in agricultural land, between 13 per cent and 49 per cent. The barren land also decreased between 35 per cent to 87 per cent.

Admitting that infrastructure development projects expanding human settlements caused human-elephant conflicts, Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote in the report, "the human-elephant conflicts now threaten not only the survival of the magnificent species but also the lives and livelihoods of the people."

The study suggested several ways to reduce human-elephant conflicts such as creation of watch towers for guarding crops, creation of barriers, energised fences, AI-based sensors, rapid response teams, amongst others.

Credit: WWF-India and Arunachal Pradesh forest department. 

“Ensuring connectivity between habitats is crucial for managing human–elephant conflict, as fragmented landscapes can force elephants into human-dominated areas, increasing the likelihood of conflict. A more integrated approach to planning and conservation is essential to balance ecological needs with human safety and livelihoods. We hope that the new action plan will become a useful resource and support intervention for strengthening human-elephant coexistence in the state," said Aritra Kshettry, National Lead for Elephant Conservation, WWF-India.