Highlights:
- 199 animals died in the Kaziranga National Park
- 160 cm fall in floodwater in the park has been recorded
- The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level only in Jorhat while Jia Bharali is in Sonitpur
Guwahati, July 22, 2019
As per the official data, a total of 139 (15 in road accident, 109 drowned, 5 under care) hog deer died while 17 rhinoceros (16 drowned), one elephant (drowned), seven swamp deer (drowned), two water buffalos (drowned), 13 sambars (one in accident, two drowned), 17 wild boar (drowned) and three porcupines (drowned) died in the flood since July 13th, 2019.
A total of 53 hog deer, two rhinos, one elephant, two swamp deer and one sambar were rescued by the forest officials and CWRC team since July 13th, 2019. On the other hand, a total of 57 animals including 48 hog deer, one elephant, two swamp deer, one sambar have been released after treatment by the forest officials.
However, the flood water level in the park is in a falling trend. As per the official data, around 160 cm fall has been recorded on June 22nd, 2019.
Kaziranga National Park
The park, which was designated as reserved forest in 1905, is located within two districts of Assam – Kaliabor sub-division in Nagaon and Bokakhat sub-division in Golaghat district.
The Kaziranga National Park, which was declared as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1985, had around 2,413 rhinoceros as per the census held in March 2018. The census was conducted by the Assam Forest Department and some recognized wildlife NGOs.
Flood situation improves
The floodwaters have receded in the state. The water levels of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have also gone down.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s report, 18 out of 33 districts of the state are currently reeling under floodwaters.
A total of 3,055,837 people, 2,918,401 animals and 114179.77 hectares cropland across 2,283 villages in 59 revenue circles in 18 districts have been affected, as per the ASDMA report on July 22nd, 2019. A total of 644 relief camps and 113 relief distribution centres are operational.
