Kaziranga National Park is fully prepared to tackle flood situation, says official

By Hemanta Kumar Nath

The authority of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam is fully prepared to tackle any kind of situation during the flood and to ensure the safety and security of the animals of the national park.

The park authorities have put vehicular speed sensor cameras on the National Highway – 37 to control the vehicles speed which is passed through the national park and the park authorities have used various technologies.

Along with the male frontline staff around 150 women frontline staff are also engaged in Kaziranga National Park to protect wild animals.

Sonali Ghosh, field director of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve told ANI that, “The park authorities have made all preparedness to ensure safety and security of wild animals of the park during flood season.”

“In Kaziranga, the flood is a very important aspect because a good flood is also helpful for Kaziranga landscape. But at the same time, the migration of wild animals has also happened from Kaziranga to higher grounds in Karbi Anglong. For this year also, we are prepared. There are nine designated corridors from where the animals are regularly crossing. We have put additional frontline staff there. We have used technologies including vehicular speed sensor cameras on the National Highway – 37 so that we can minimize road accidents with wild animals. Our frontline staff are continuously engaged in anti-poaching activities and doing their duties round the clock. We have provided them country boats, life jackets, raincoats and whatever is required,” Sonali Ghosh added.

She further said that, on June 15, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma came to Kaziranga and he held an inter-departmental review meeting on flood preparedness and he had given a lot many directions.

“We started the awareness camps to make the involvement of youths, the local community from April itself. In April, we clean our corridor areas and remove plastics with the help of NSS students. After that, we have done flood preparation meetings with the line departments and involved communities. We have also the flood volunteers and we trained them. We have sufficient numbers of highlands inside the park,” Sonali Ghosh said.

She further said that frontline women staff are also engaged in Kaziranga National Park to protect wild animals.

“Last year in June, the state government recruited over 2500 frontline which is unprecedented and never happened in the last 30-40 years. Very young and able forest guards, foresters were recruited and out of which 300 were women frontline. All women frontline was given induction training at the police training centre, Dergaon and they are now posted in different places. In Kaziranga, we have around 150 women frontline staff. The Prime Minister came to Kaziranga on March 9 this year and he gave them the name ‘Vandurga’. They do all activities as their male counterparts. They are also engaged in anti-poaching activities, front duty, eco-development works,” Sonali Ghosh said.

“A committee has been constituted which is headed by the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden of the state and it has Water Resources department, other experts, biologist. This committee is going to assess what extent the erosion and what should be the measures to take up,” Sonali Ghosh said.