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Floods drown Kaziranga in sea of financial woes

The Kaziranga National Park, home to the threatened one-horned rhino, may not be opened at all this year.

Catastrophic floods, which turned the 433-sq-km game park into a virtual lake, destroying all roads, bridges, watchtowers and camps within, have left little chance for the park's reopening scheduled on November 1.

Nearly 18 feet of water was swirling in the park till a few days ago. Forest officials have a Himalayan task ahead of them -- building motorable roads, clearing the mud and slush left behind by the marauding rivers, the Brahamaputra and the Diphaloo, erecting watch towers, etc.

As of now, the only mode of conveyance inside the park is elephants -- and that, only to certain areas.

The entire park remains unguarded after the fall.

This is the second time that surging waters drove animals away from Kaziranga. The first was in 1988, when floods swept almost half the fauna, including 105 full-grown rhinos.

The situation is worse this time. The ongoing body count so far has listed 35 rhino carcasses.

Park Director B S Bonal says the biggest problem would begin after the floods recede. "There is no money for development. All the budgetary allocation goes towards payment of salaries and wages. There is not even money to buy petroleum products. We are managing the development part with help from non- governmental organisations."

With a staff of only 450 to protect the huge park, forest guards are stretched to the limit, Bonal complained. Indeed, the situation is so bad that even basic requirements like uniforms could not be provided to the personnel.

The park has two high-powered speedboats. But over the years they have become a burden.

''The boats are good, but consume about 40 litres of fuel per hour. We cannot afford that. We are looking for motorised country-made boats, which are much more cost effective,'' Bonal said.

The authorities are, hence, looking for more donations from NGOs. The vehicles running inside the park are now being supplied by various organisations from all over the country.

''I desperately need some torch batteries and boots for the guards," the park director said.

The extent of damage the park has suffered has not been gauged yet. Smaller animals like deer and wild boar figure high on the casualty list.

Bonal said, "Initially, after the second wave of floods, we calculated the damage at Rs 21 million. But now, after the latest wave of floods, Kaziranga will have to be built from scratch. Every road, bridge and camp has been destroyed."

Restoration work would, hopefully, start from next month.

UNI

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