Wild elephants have been rampaging more often in the border areas of Kurigram's Rowmari and Rajibpur upazilas. Farmers are losing crops and residents fear for their lives.

Over two days in particular, elephants damaged maize and mustard fields, shallow irrigation engines and homes in several villages in wards 1 and 2 of the upazila's sadar union, leaving farmers with losses.

Affected residents said wild elephants from India come into the villages late at night. They enter Bangladeshi territory next to the border, trample seedbeds, maize fields and houses, and go back across into India. For the past three nights elephants have caused heavy damage at Mia Para, East Jalchhira Para and the Baliamari border in the sadar union.

Aman Uddin of Jalchhira Para said that around 3am on Tuesday, 30 or 35 elephants came in from India through the Kalaier Char border, passing the border haat south of international pillar 1072 and in front of Baliamari Bepari Para village. They flattened about five acres of maize, mustard and wheat on the Mia Para and Jalchhira Para border and crushed three shallow machines.

Abdul Aziz Dewani, a farmer of Baliamari, said the herd destroyed his mustard field and at least five shallow machines, including his own. They also trampled maize, mustard, paddy seedbeds, vegetable gardens and wheat on about 5 bighas around his land.

Nur Islam, union parishad member for ward 2 of Rajibpur sadar union, told Jagonews that for three days herds had been coming into Bangladesh from the Indian border at night, damaging crops and houses. People were frightened, and they wanted the government to step in.

Miron Md Ilias, chairman of Rajibpur sadar union, said the herd from India had destroyed a lot of Bangladeshi farmers' crops and broken irrigation machines. He had informed the Baliamari BGB company commander and the upazila administration.

Rajibpur forest officer Md Iqbal Hossain said the elephant trouble began three days ago. He had visited the villages to raise awareness, advising people among other things to light fires when elephants come. A list of affected farmers will be made and sent to the upazila administration.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.