BALANGIR; The increasing war for space and food between man and animal has come into focus in around 20 villages under Loisingha block. While summer and water scarcity are causing untold miseries on the villagers, the fear of elephants has added to their woes. The elephants are ruling ponds in around 20 villages, literally.The villagers have been facing this problem for the past few weeks, even at a time when the mercury hovered around 46 degree Celsius in Balangir and water crisis was acute. Ever since they have been depending on wells and bore-wells, which are drying up fast. Light showers for the last two days failed to bring any solace.Though the forest department officials were apprised of elephants roaming free in human habitations, little has been done to tackle the situation. All that the department officials did was to send a proposal to the government to put up solar fencing. A 57- km-long fence was put up at Sonepur to restrict the movement of pachyderms. Ironically, the fencing is believed to be the reason for straying of the pachyderms to Loisingha in Balangir in search of food and water.Loisingha forester Sankirtan Nag said around 25 elephants, which were earlier in Barapahar area, are now found in Loisingha area causing widespread fear. “The elephants frequent the ponds during daytime and settle near them after sunset,” Nag said. Though they have been receiving complaints from the villagers, they can do little in the absence of technical knowledge to goad theelephants.Ramjee Sha, Vana Surakshya Samiti (VSS) member, said the herd has been attacking villagers even without provocation. After March, women and old people did not go to the ponds to fetch water and the visits stopped completely after two persons were trampled to death in April.Balangir DFO RK Sahu said a proposal for 27-km fencing was sent to the government. “There would not have been any problem had fencing been taken up in both the divisions simultaneously,’’ the DFO said.
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