Assam: After 2019, floods deal the worst blow to wildlife in the park this year

KNP eases traffic restrictions

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: With the improvement in the flood situation in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), the KNP authorities have relaxed the restrictions they imposed on traffic movement to some extent. However, the devastating floods this year took the highest toll on wildlife in the park after the one in 2019. 

According to KNP Director Sunali Ghosh, though the water has receded, the movement of animals between Karbi Hill and the park still goes on. So far, the toll on wildlife is 212, compared to 222 in 2019. The KNP has witnessed an all-time high flood, with HFL recorded at 87.47 metres on July 1, 2024, at Nematighat.

She said, “During the peak flood time, we observed heavy traffic during the day. On July 14, as many as 1,373 trucks and 988 small vehicles were escorted from Bagori to Panbari between 8 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. On average, 3,300 vehicles have been reported by sensor cameras placed between Amguri and Panbari in the past ten days.”

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on his social media handle, “After the flood situation eased, from today onwards, small motor vehicles and buses will be allowed to move naturally with a certain speed limit. However, trucks can only move in convoys. It’s a pleasure that animals are returning to the park.”

The KNP was the worst-affected by floods in 1988, when 2,203 animals, including 45 rhinos, died. As many as 793 animals, including 15 rhinos, died in the park in the floods in 2012. The floods in 2017 claimed 91 animals, including 24 rhinos, in the park, where 157 animals, including 19 rhinos, died in 2020. The floods this year claimed 212 animals, including ten rhinos, in the park. The strict vigil by the police, the district administrations, forest guards, NGOs, and cooperation from the local communities have successfully reduced the number of animal deaths by vehicles to only two, compared to 22 in 2020 and 17 in 2019.

Also Read: 174 Kaziranga National Park animals including ten rhinos die in floods (sentinelassam.com)

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