Assam prepares to manage floods better at Kaziranga

A coordinated effort is being made by different departments to formulate plans to mitigate flood and erosion in the Kaziranga National Park, Assam’s Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said on Wednesday.

A high-level meeting was held between the ministers and officials of the Environment and Forest, Water Resources and Agriculture, and Veterinary Departments as a follow-up of the flood preparedness meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Kaziranga recently.

Suklabaidya said a number of initiatives have been taken by the Environment and Forest Department for disaster risk reduction and the three departments concerned will formulate plans of short and long terms to mitigate the problem of erosion and excessive flooding in the national park.

He directed the Forest officials to share information regarding the release of water from dams with the Water Resources Department and the meeting also resolved to build highlands and flood-proofing structures, especially at Borbeel on the fringe of the park, to provide shelter to the affected people.

The meeting also discussed setting up helipads on the periphery of the national park for rescue operations, building a spacious guest house close to the helipad, upgrading the veterinary sub-centre at Kohora to a hospital for better treatment of animals and providing green fodder to the livestock living on the fringes of the park.

Water Resources Minister Pijush Haarika said concrete steps would be taken to prevent erosion at Agratoli on the eastern range of the park, covering a stretch of around 2 km, and dredging will be carried out on the outer fringe of the park to prevent excessive flooding.

As flash floods take place due to the release of water from Doyang, Rongamati and Bhutan dams, the meeting decided to take up the matter with the authorities concerned so that water is not released simultaneously, he said.

As one of the dams concerned is in Bhutan, the matter would be placed before the chief minister for taking it up at an appropriate level, Hazarika said.