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Droughts and irrigation ponds in Odisha are drawing elephants into farmlands.
Traditional migratory routes have been blocked by encroachment and land-use change.
Research shows water availability near croplands is a major attractant for elephants.
Regions in Africa face similar pressures as climate change alters elephant movement.
Odisha is trying mitigation measures, from palm plantations to behaviour-change campaigns.
When it comes to human-elephant conflict, water shapes the story, both its abundance and its absence. In drought-prone areas, the rapid spread of farm ponds and paddy fields is drawing elephants into human settlements, and trapping them there.
Elephants migrate long distances in search of food, water and suitable habitats. In districts such as Odisha’s Dhenkanal, which consistently records high levels of human-wildlife conflict, the combination of farm ponds constructed largely under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and extensive paddy cultivation, supported by easily available irrigation, has created an ideal refuge for elephants, said a forest officer who did not wish to be named.
“The problem is that these elephants cannot go back now, as people obstruct their movement to protect croplands,” the officer said. “Many came here long ago, possibly during migrations, and their traditional routes have either been blocked or altered over the years. So the elephants are perpetually stuck in this landscape. Some may have travelled 800 to 1,000 km to reach Dhenkanal. The calves and sub-adults are always stressed due to human interference. They have never seen a forest and have always lived in a human-dominated landscape, which increases conflict.”
India is home to an estimated 22,446 elephants. Across the country, villagers often use crackers and mashals (torches) to drive elephants away when they enter settlements and farmlands. But this frequently backfires, agitating the animals and causing them to run amok. Such measures do not resolve the underlying drivers of conflict.
In some areas, long-term efforts are under way, including changes in crop patterns. But, the officer said, conflict is unlikely to disappear. As elephants move to new areas in search of food, and human populations continue to rise, more robust social and technological interventions can help reduce — but not eliminate — conflicts.
Odisha is prone to recurrent droughts. According to the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, the state has faced natural calamities in 41 of the past 50 years, including 19 drought years. The western districts are particularly vulnerable. To address this, the State Agriculture Policy prioritised water development through the Orissa Watershed Development Mission.
Farm ponds play a central role in soil moisture conservation and supplying water for irrigation. In Dhenkanal’s eight blocks, the daily e-muster (electronic attendance register for workers) report for November 26, 2025, showed 1,837 ongoing works, including 66 related to water conservation and harvesting, and 93 categorised as drought-proofing measures — all aimed at enhancing water availability.
Research suggests that water near farmlands attracts elephants. A 2024 study in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, titled Deforestation and water availability as main drivers of human-elephant conflict, noted that rivers and waterbodies serve as important congregation sites as they provide foraging areas and water. Adult elephants require around 200 litres of water a day.
Paddy, a water-intensive crop, is widely grown in Odisha. In Dhenkanal, irrigated paddy made possible by farm ponds has strengthened the district’s pull for elephants. Between 2019 and 2024, the state government aimed to construct 500,000 farm ponds to support farmers, improve water security and conserve soil.
Similar patterns appear in parts of Africa, where drought and water availability shape conflict. In Namibia, human-elephant conflict spikes during drought. Christin Winter, Programme Manager at Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA), wrote in a LinkedIn post that many deaths occur when drought increases pressure on both rural communities and wildlife competing for the same limited resources. Namibia has an estimated 24,000 elephants, according to conservation organisation World Wide Fund for Nature-Namibia.
In an email interview, Winter said: “Namibia has always experienced long cycles of droughts (7-15 years), alongside a few years of good rainfall. But most of it is patchy and inconsistent now due to climate change. In times of drought, when goat herders walk with their livestock for pasture, they face risk of encounters with elephants. The presence of easy water is also an issue. Artificial water points in Etosha National Park contain water throughout the year. Man-made water points that elephants can access change the way the animals move across landscapes to expand their ranges.”
While drought and irrigation water increase conflict, these are not the only factors. Land-use changes including mining and industrial expansion play a major role. According to Rudra Mahapatra of conservation institution Wildlife Trust of India, Dhenkanal lies adjacent to the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve, part of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district.
“Dhenkanal has three times more elephants than its carrying capacity. The animals find Dhenkanal suitable,” he said. Once, the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary near Bhubaneswar supported about 60 elephants, but it has since suffered large-scale habitat loss.
A suitable habitat with abundant food and water always sustains elephants. Jharkhand-based wildlife expert D S Srivastava said Dhenkanal has long had a resident elephant population, but the animals sometimes cross into neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in search of better forage. Forests have shrunk, and bamboo — a staple — is increasingly scarce.
In West Bengal, many small-scale paddy farmers in Jalpaiguri district have shifted to tea cultivation to deter elephant raids. But this adaptation has produced unintended consequences: tea gardens now serve as safe breeding grounds for resident leopards. Forest ranger Ashesh Paul, posted in Jalpaiguri’s Diana range, said elephants often become trapped while searching for food in a landscape shaped by dense human settlements, farms, forests and tea estates. Farmers do earn more from tea, but the shift has not eliminated conflict.
Mahapatra said his organisation runs a state-wide human-wildlife conflict mitigation training programme. “It is true that water bodies attract elephants. Being large mammals, they need to drink a lot of water to survive. During our meetings on conflict mitigation, we emphasise that all government departments concerned must be present. This helps us understand ground realities and design appropriate mitigation measures.”
One factor that unexpectedly increases conflict is open defecation. “Even though toilets exist, open defecation leads to human casualties, as it increases the chances of encounters. Toilets are often used for storage or lack water connections, so people defecate in the open. Yet these villages are declared open defecation-free. Regular toilet use would reduce conflicts by 40-50 per cent,” Mahapatra said.
Changing long-held behaviours can take years. In Dhenkanal, local non-profit Sneha has launched an intensive campaign on eliminating open defecation, led by a woman communicator working across 50 villages. While women have responded positively, some of the elderly remain harder to convince.
Odisha is also planting palm trees at scale as part of its mitigation strategy. Palmyra palm fruits provide food during lean periods. In 2024-25, the forest department planted 80,000 palm seedlings in Dhenkanal. The state has 2,103 elephants, including 291 in Dhenkanal. The district recorded 58 human deaths in the past two years, a stark reminder of the urgency of finding long-term, inclusive solutions for coexistence.