Floods pose serious threat to our animals. They deserve better protection
Massive floods have claimed the lives of scores of people and displaced thousands, besides disrupting normal life and destroying crops. At the same time, it has yet again brought the attention to something that has now become an annual affair in the north-eastern State: The welfare of the animals in the Kaziranga National Park, which now looks like a death-bed for animals. The world heritage site's one-horned rhinoceroses, Asian elephants, Royal Bengal tigers, Hog deers have all been a global attraction. After being pushed to the brink of being endangered due to extensive poaching, their numbers have increased in the past decade. As per reports, from a population of barely 75 in 1905, Indian rhinos numbered over 2,700 in 2012. Against this backdrop, the death of more than 600 animals in a span of two months in two waves of floods have understandably evoked much concern. Fifteen rare rhinos, 185 deers, and at least one Royal Bengal tiger have lost lives due to the devastating floods. And we have seen some dramatic images of animals being completely submerged in water, while others were seen struggling to find a stable place for survival. The deluge that submerged more than 50 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park, forced the animals to move to higher attitudes as the floods inundated large parts of the national park. There have been heart wrenching images of animals dispersing to towns — rhinoceroses were spotted struggling their way on the national highway even as this created panic among the people. This is, perhaps, one of the deadliest toll that the floods have taken since 2012 and comes as a reminder that not much work has been done to protect and conserve this country's rich and diverse but also delicate and in many cases endangered wildlife heritage. Nevertheless, while there is no way to make up for the loss of these precious lives, one finds relief from the fact that the authorities as well as the public at large and civil society members have taken stock of the situation. Forest officials are leaving no stone unturned to rescue the animals — they have intensified water patrolling and have been using drones to track the movement of animals. Besides, water levels too are receding. If another wave doesn't strike, things may well be under control.
Coming to the larger picture, since climactic conditions and monsoonal flows are not under human control, flooding remains a daunting challenge. Certainly, providing adequate relief measures is a step in the right direction but what is unfortunate is that a long-term solution to the flood problem in the North-East remains elusive. Successive Governments have ignored the situation on ground. The BJP Government that heads the State came to power with a promise to find a permanent solution to flooding problem in the State. The Sarbanand Sonowal dispension must chalk out a comprehensive plan with help from the Centre and find a solution to the long-pestering issue. Declaring the floods issue in the State as a national problem will not solve matters altogether.