Wokha district has more than two-third of Nagaland’s elephant population, which is the second highest elephant density per square kilometre in the country after Karnataka.
Wokha Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Zuthunglo Patton said this while briefing the inter-ministerial central team from New Delhi about human-elephant conflict in the district at a coordination meeting with Wokha District Disaster Management Authority (WDDMA) at Wokha DC’s conference hall on Thursday.
The four-member central team led by Joint Secretary (Judicial) Ministry of Home Affairs VB Dubey on a visit to Wokha district to assess the damage caused by floods and landslides during 2017.
Wokha DC and WDDMA Chairman Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon during the meeting highlighted disaster scenario, vulnerability and hazard analysis of the district. The DC also informed the central team that the district is not only vulnerable to natural calamities but also facing human-animal conflict which needs special attention as the rural people depend on agricultural and its allied production as their mainstay. Wokha disaster management officer Mercy presented damage assessment and utilization of funds report.
DFO Patton highlighted some mitigation measures and challenges before WDDMA. He suggested role-following points such as convergence, relief/compensation for crop damage, property damage, injury or loss of life, awareness campaign from village to village and door to door in high conflict areas and various low cost techniques for early warning as well as during crop raiding or elephant presence in village.