Kaziranga staff mount vigil due to flood

Guwahati, June 20 (UNI) As the flood water of the mighty Brahmaputra started entering the grassland of the famous Kaziranga National Park in Asom, it is an emergency call for the wildlife staff manning the sprawling abode of one-horned Asiatic Rhino to take preventive measures to ensure safety of the park denizens.

A highly placed source in the national park informed that a flood monitoring cell was set up in the sanctuary to monitor the water level of the Brahmaputra.

A number of awareness camps had been held among people living in fringe villages to sensitise the latter about measures to be taken to safeguard marooned animals against threat from poachers and speeding vehicle on the National Highway 37 passing through the wildlife habitat.

Vigil had been mounted in and around the wildlife habitat to keep the poachers, who were always on the prowl to kill flood-hit animals, especially rhinos and deer at bay.

A ferry taken on lease from Indian Waterways Authority (IWA), three motor boats were being used to keep vigil in marooned areas of the park. Moreover, over 100 country boats were kept in readiness for flood-time emergency to guard the sprawling park spread over 500 sq km area.

Because of the flood, the park was closed for off-season visitors from June 11 last. Three barricades had been set up on the portion NH 37 within the national park to control the speed of the vehicles plying along the busy highway connecting the eastern point of the state to West Bengal to the west.

The vehicles barricades had been erected at Haldibari, Kanchajuri and Burapahar points, known as the most popular animal corridor linking park areas on both sides of the highway. The district administration had clamped Section 144 Cr PC within Kaziranga National Park area for protection of marooned animals.

However, the situation was far from alarming as on date. A low intensity annual flood is a necessity in the national park for rejuvenation of its grassland that is vital for survival of a large number of species of herbivorous animals.

UNI XC SJC SK KN1635