Guwahati: Nearly 70% of the total 430 square km area of Kaziranga National Park (KNP) was submerged by floodwaters till Monday. Park authorities said 90 anti-poaching camps of the total 155 of the park are under floodwater now. A large number of wild animals cross-national highway 715 to reach the highland in Karbi Anglong district. Three hog deer were killed so far by speeding vehicles on National Highway 715 while crossing the highway to reach nearby Karbi hills.
The Park Authority has issued the Time Card system to vehicles passing by the Kaziranga to maintain a speed limit of 40 kilometres per hour. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also requested all drivers and vehicle owners to maintain the speed limit in the Kaziranga area, looking at the crossover of wild animals due to flooding. He requested all to avoid NH715 passing through the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga during the flood keeping in mind the safety of the wild animals.
Besides rhinos, the Kaziranga is home to a large number of wild animals like tigers, elephants, deer and buffalos etc. Numbers of wild animals have come out of the flooded park in search of food and highland areas. Forest guards have been conducting regular patrolling by country boats inside the park to check poaching. A large number of forest guards, along with police and Assam Forest Protection Force personnel, are patrolling NH 715 to control the passing vehicles for the safety of the wild animals.
The civil administration of Kaliabor in Nagaon district and Bokakhat in Golaghat district under whose jurisdiction the park falls issued prohibitory orders under section 144 in their respective areas for the safety of animals during floods.
Meanwhile, the flood situation in the states worsened, with nearly two lakhs 58 thousand people affected by the flood. As per the Assam disaster management authority (ASDMA) data, the floods affected 16 districts, and nearly 720 villages are under flood water so far. Majuli, the world's largest river island and hub of Sattra culture, is also severely affected by the flood. Nearly 72 villages are under floodwater, and almost 25 thousand people are being affected by the flood. As per the ASDMA data, 24704 hectares corp area has been damaged because of the flood.
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