Guwahati: Human-elephant conflict has claimed 1,147 human lives and 246 elephants in Assam over the past decade, the state govt informed the assembly on Tuesday.Forest minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said electrocution and train accidents remain the leading causes of elephant deaths, highlighting the continuing challenge of reducing human-wildlife conflict. He also said encroachment continues to affect Assam’s forests, with more than 3.14 lakh hectares of reserved forests and wildlife sanctuaries under illegal occupation.In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Mallabaruah said 2025 recorded the highest annual human toll, with 138 deaths linked to human-elephant conflict. So far this year, 53 people have died. The state recorded 116 deaths in 2023, 115 in 2018, 112 in 2022, 110 in 2024, 109 in 2019, 108 in 2021, 99 in 2017, 98 in 2016 and 89 in 2020.According to the forest department, the worst-affected forest divisions over the past decade include Baksa, Dhansiri, Nagaon (T), Sonitpur West, Goalpara, Golaghat, Kamrup east , Kamrup west and Karbi Anglong east .While the Barak Valley has reported relatively few fatalities, lower, upper and northern Assam, along with the hill districts, continue to record high numbers. Goalpara has reported the highest toll at 195 human deaths since 2016, followed by the Dhansiri Forest Division with 143.Elephant deaths have continued despite measures such as deployment of forest personnel, installation of solar fencing and identification of 33 elephant corridors along railway tracks. Five elephant deaths have been reported this year, including four due to electrocution and one due to poaching. In 2025, the state recorded 36 elephant deaths, 22 of them due to electrocution. The figures were 27 in 2024 (11 electrocution), 17 in 2023 (11 electrocution), 17 in 2022 (including nine train accidents) and 19 in 2021 (eight electrocution). In total, Assam has recorded 246 elephant deaths since 2016.In a separate reply to AGP MLA Diptimoyee Choudhury, the minister said 2,96,717.935 hectares of reserved forest land and 17,421.5 hectares within wildlife sanctuaries across the state remain under encroachment.
