Oil exploration in Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve sparks outrage amid man-animal conflict

Guwahati, Sept 5: At a time when Assam is witnessing a raging human-elephant conflict, the State forest department is merrily allotting more and more prime elephant habitats for highly polluting drilling and mining activities.

A case in point concerns an 8.91-sq-km prime elephant territory of Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve (Upper Dehing East RF) that is being allotted for oil exploration by Oilmax Energy and Antelopus Energy.

In its letter, the forest department - while clearing the allotment of forest land-does not even mention that the area in question (Duarmara block) falls under Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. It merely says that there are no national parks, wildlife sanctuaries within 10 km distance from the block area, which is under reserve forest.

Significantly, Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve has a very high density of elephants with a population of over 500, ac-cording to the elephant census of 2024.

The Doomdooma river also flows through the block area, which makes it extremely vulnerable to pollution during oil exploration activities.

A disturbing video accessed by The Assam Tribune shows a herd of elephants agitatedly moving around the solar-fenced area, i.e., the site for the proposed oil exploration, inside the elephant reserve. Visibly distressed, the elephants which include young calves are seen trying to make their way through the roadblock, as they keep checking the barriers and also touch and push against them.

The video footage makes it more than apparent that the animals had been using the territory for their movement for a long time before the area was fenced to secure it from the elephants.

"This is a blatant assault on the elephants' right of passage. The video is irrefutable evidence of the disruption caused to the elephants' movement. It is all the more shocking because the Assam forest department has gone out of its way to accommodate the oil exploration lobby. The allotment for oil drilling should be rescinded immediately and the site made free to the elephants. This is prime elephant habitat and the animals have been using their territory for ages," said wildlife activist Mridupaban Phukon, who has documented the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve.

There have also been a number of Supreme Court observations and directives, underscoring the urgency to keep elephant habitats and corridors free from any kind of disturbances, especially commercial and industrial.

A forest department official who had worked for years in the Dehing Patkai landscape was of the view that allotting such prime elephant territory for highly polluting oil drilling activities was totally unwarranted.

"Elephants need large areas for food and movement. Ironically, we are reducing their territory by increasingly encroaching upon their habitat. What is happening at the Duarmara block is very disturbing. Such vandalism on elephant habitat must stop," he added.

Oilmax had received environmental clearance for its drilling plan on January 8, 2025. On December 24, 2024, Oilmax was granted permission to divert 3.92 hectares of forest for the drilling campaign. Earlier on July 26, 2017, the Assam government had transferred the 8.91-sq-km Duarmara PML from Oil India Ltd to Oilmax with a PML valid until November 25, 2029. Oil India Ltd drilled the two existing wells in the late 1960s but did not produce any crude oil.