Assam records 1,147 deaths in human-animal conflicts

Guwahati: Human-animal conflicts killed 1,147 people in Assam between 2016 and 2026. Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah shared the grim stats with the Assam Assembly on July 7. The peak toll hit in 2025 with 138 fatalities. Wildlife is suffering too. Over the same stretch, 246 elephants died from causes like electrocution, train accidents, and poisoning.

Forest land is vanishing. Over 3.15 lakh hectares of reserved forest and protected areas remain under encroachment. The government has tried to clear the land. Mallabaruah noted that eviction drives between 2015-16 and 2025-26 managed to reclaim 25,588.76 hectares of forest. He told the House, "Compensatory afforestation had been undertaken in accordance with prescribed guidelines."

Assam still holds a significant amount of green cover. Official reports show forest area reached 28,313.55 square kilometres in 2023. This is 36.1 per cent of the total land. Officials also tracked the legal loss of timber. About 2,42,013 trees were cut down under the Van Adhiniyam act over the last decade.