Flood vulnerability assessment: a case of kaziranga national park, Assam

Abstract

Kaziranga National Park in the North Eastern state of Assam is the last stronghold of the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros. It forms the floodplain of the Brahmaputra River and consists of extensive grasslands interspersed with water bodies. The rich blend of different vegetation types puts Kaziranga amongst the top birding parks of the sub-continent, with the numerous water bodies attracting a large number of water fowl. However animals herein are severely dependent on conservation because of threats from poaching and destruction of habitat. Poaching and floods are both accounted as major problems that greatly hamper conservation. The aim of the study is to assess the Flood Vulnerability of Kaziranga National Park. Erosion is one of the major factors imparting a severity on the future of the park. Every year large chunks of land from the Northern boundary are being washed away by the Brahmaputra River. The floods generally causes considerable damage to the anti-poaching infrastructures like Roads, bridges, patrolling path and guard camps and during that period poacher takes the advantage of it. National Highway No. 37 is also an issue during high flood which makes the animals to move to higher areas along the Karbi Anglong hills which leads to unsafe of road crossing. Many animals lose their lives by drowning, being poached or are run over by vehicular traffic on the National Highway 37. During flood most of the animals have to migrate from the Park and take shelter on the adjacent high grounds in Karbi Anglong Hills. These areas are populated and protection of the animals during the period of migration from and back to the Park becomes an uphill task as enforcement network is almost non-existent in such areas. After inferring the analysis and supporting literature this study intends to propose the construction of artificial high lands within Kaziranga National Park which could be a very sensible resolution.