The Hindu : Front Page : Floods displace hundreds of animals in Kaziranga park

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Floods displace hundreds of animals in Kaziranga park

Sushanta Talukdar

Brahmaputra flood waters submerge about 80 per cent of the park area in Assam

— Photo: PTI

TOUGH DAY: Cycle rickshawmen find it hard to push their vehicles in a waterlogged area of Dimapur, Assam, after a heavy rainfall on Friday.

Guwahati: Hundreds of animals in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam were displaced after flood waters of the Brahmaputra submerged about 80 per cent of the park area. A number of animals were run over by speeding vehicles as they crossed the national highway to safer places, while several were drowned. The park authorities have rescued several animals from drowning.

The floods have claimed 23 human lives in the State and affected 63.51 lakh people in 5,326 villages. So far 1.17 lakh people have taken shelter in 523 relief camps. Flood waters have destroyed crops on 3.44 lakh hectares and damaged 1,285 houses.

The flood situation in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in central Assam’s Morigaon district remained critical. The entire park area and the road leading to it have remained submerged since July 23. The park has the highest concentration of one-horned rhinoceros. The animals have taken shelter on the three highlands. The authorities rescued two rhinoceros calves on Thursday. Three wild boar calves drowned.

Divisional Forest Officer (Kaziranga) Bankim Sarma told The Hindu that seven hog deer had been killed by speeding vehicles. A rhino, a swamp deer, three hog deer and three wild boar were drowned till Friday.

The park authorities rescued 17 flood-hit and distressed hog deer and they were being treated at the Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

He said 885 hog deer, 112 elephants and 50 wild buffaloes crossed over to National Highway No 37, which passes through the park area to the highlands of Karbi Anglong on the southern side. The highway touches the park over a stretch of 30 km.

“The situation is not alarming. Kaziranga needs floods of this intensity to maintain its eco-system. Flood waters have washed away hyacinth from numerous water bodies. This would help to increase the fish population and other aquatic animals for migratory birds. Sludge left by flood waters is essential for maintenance of grassland in the park,” Mr. Sarma said.

K. Balchand reports from Patna:

The Bihar Government on Friday requisitioned the services of the Army and the IAF as the flood situation worsened and the death toll mounted.

More than 34 people have died, taking the toll to 91, in the floods that have displaced over one crore people in 17 districts.

Incidents of boat capsize were reported from Begusarai, Motihari and Samastipur, and a bridge collapse in Sitamarhi district.

Begusarai was the worst affected as a 50-foot breach occurred in the embankment of the Burhi Gandak, ripping Barihi village on Thursday night. The swirling waters climbed a high of 11 to 12 feet. Several women and children were feared swept away. The number of dead was yet to be ascertained.

More than 200 villages were affected and 65,000 people rushed out for shelter. Two bodies had been recovered.

A relief boat capsized and two persons were reported missing. A woman saw her three young children being swept away. A helicopter was used to airlift those trapped on rooftops of buildings. Authorities have been alerted and the people asked to evacuate the affected areas of Khagaria district.

At least a dozen people were drowned when the boat carrying them to a nag panchami mela capsized in Baisi under the Vibhitipur block in Samastipur district. Seven bodies have been recovered. The boat was carrying about 25 people, so me of whom swam to safety.

In another incident, four minor children were drowned in the Burhi Gandak in Chakia village in East Champaran district. Six persons are yet to be traced.

According to official sources, more than 10 million people in 17 districts have been affected by the floods and over 70,000 houses destroyed.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who returned from Mauritius on Thursday, faced protests by the people during his aerial survey.

In Darbhanga, one of the worst affected districts, more than 2,000 women staged a protest and even threw stones at the local BJP MLA who was with the Chief Minister.

The police dispersed the crowd.

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