MALAPPURAM: Election fever has done nothing to ease the pain of the farmers of Nilambur, who have for long been feeling the heat of human-wildlife conflict. All seven panchayats and one municipality that make up the constituency share a forest border. With no end to their woes, rural residents, who depend primarily on agriculture, live with a sense of constant dread.
On the banks of the Karimpuzha River, residents of Athikapp, near Karulai, have been spending sleepless nights due to regular elephant attacks.
“I lost over 60 areca palms in a single elephant attack. The animals destroy the trees for no reason at all. All the rubber trees you see here have been replanted. Elephants, wild boars and monkeys cross the river into our properties, where they have a free hand,” says Shibu, who owns one-and-a-half acres of land along the banks of the river.
Shibu and his neighbours, including Nebu Vazhavilayil, Thomas Chembarathimoottil and many other farmers, have erected solar fencing along their lands, but the animals eventually end up destroying those barriers as well. “One fruiting areca palm gets me more than `5,000 a year. But I end up earning a petty `200,” points out Shibu, standing in front of his wrecked trees.
“Elephants roam in the dead of night. A few days ago, I was trying to scare an elephant off my land in the dark and did not notice another one hiding nearby. It is by the grace of god that I am alive today. I am now mortified about venturing out at night,” says his brother Kochumman, who lives nearby.
‘Worse since 2019 floods’
Nearly 25 km away, the issues faced by Pradeep P C and K C Rajan Keetumari, of Boothanam village, in Pothukallu panchayat, are no different. Living on the forest fringe, a large chunk of their produce turns to food for wild animals, if at all it is spared. On their land, on the hill face, all one can see are damaged trees and elephant footprints -- their eyes reflecting the pain and anguish.
On May 25, Rajan lost nearly 200 banana plants that were about to be harvested, while his neighbour Pradeep lost over 20 areca palms of various sizes. “Our problems exacerbated after the 2019 floods. We keep filing complaint after complaint. But to what end? At the end of the day, our woes always fall on deaf ears,” says an emotional Pradeep.
“Before every election, there is a lot of noise raised about farmers’ rights. But no solutions are ever offered. We have lost all hope in politicians. Governments come and go, but farmers’ grief remains unheard,” they say unanimously.
In the run-up to the Nilambur by-election -- to be held on June 19 -- the political spotlight was turned on issues faced by high-range farmers following the tragic death of a 15-year-old, after he landed up in a wild-boar trap in Vazhikkadavu panchayat.
In the last five years, over 40 people -- including farmers, have lost their lives in wildlife encounters in the Nilambur forest region. Amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which mandates protection of wild animals, have been a key campaign slogan of all political parties this by-poll cycle as well. But, given what they have had to endure over the years, farmers are choosing not to get their hopes too high.