Keonjhar: Elephant incursions into human habitats have become a daily concern across several blocks of Keonjhar district. Herds are entering villages, damaging houses, and destroying crops. Although the Forest Department provides compensation, villagers say it does not cover the real losses, leading to growing friction between people and elephants.
However, in a praiseworthy initiative, members of the Juang community at Kansa village in Kodipasa panchayat under Bansapani block have mobilised and launched efforts to reduce human-elephant conflict and ensure adequate food sources for elephants. They have started planting saplings and building small check dams on nearby hills with help from a voluntary outfit to protect themselves and the environment.
Residents of Talakansa village under Kodipasa panchayat have set an example of coexistence between humans and elephants. Talakansa is part of Kansa village, though separated by a hill. Surrounded by forests, Talakansa is home to around 31 impoverished families of the Juang community. Benefits of government schemes still elude the villagers. Even the poverty alleviation scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has not reached them.
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For decades, the villagers have lived in darkness and abject poverty. Natural disasters and conflicts with wildlife are constant. During the monsoon, rainwater rushes down three hills and floods the village, washing away houses, roads, and culverts. Water sources on the hills, when dried up, force both people and wildlife to compete for water. Elephants and other wild animals often enter the village in search of water, frequently damaging houses and crops.
To address the problem, villagers recently came together and decided to build an earthen dam on top of a hill. For technical guidance, resources, and environmental safeguards, they reached out to the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), a nonprofit outfit. With FES providing the design and support, and villagers contributing labor, they built the dam at the hilltop to hold back runoff, slow down the flow, and reduce the force of floodwaters.
Driven by persistence, the villagers successfully completed the work. For the past five years, despite continuous rains, the dam has protected Talakansa village from flooding. Homes, crops, and infrastructure have remained safe. The water stored in the dam has also become a reliable source for elephants.
As a result, elephant incursions in the village have declined along with the flood risk, said Damodar Juang, president of the village development committee. Swastik Tripathy, district team leader for FES, said the dam has dramatically reduced human-elephant conflict, protecting both people and wildlife.
Beyond the immediate environmental and safety benefits, the project has strengthened community bonds and instilled a sense of collective action among the villagers.
