DERGAON, March 6 � Though the State Government as well as the Forest Department claim to have achieved success in conservation of wildlife, the ground reality tells a different story. The Government has also stated that it has taken steps for the uplift of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), a World Heritage Site, but the harsh truth is that the wild animals of the park are presently in great danger due to scarcity of water.
This year the amount of rain has decreased alarmingly but at present another development has triggered the problem of water scarcity among the wild animals of the park. According to information, the scarcity has been reported at Mihimukh under Kohora range. This is because of a water reservoir made on Kohora river by the Bokakhat Public Health Engineering Department at Mihimukh.
It is pertinent to mention here that the water comes from the Karbi hills and flows through Kohora river and then enters the park through Kohora range. On the other hand, the water of Diffloo river flows to the park through Agaratali, Kohora, Bagori and Burahpahar, etc. The water of Kohora river enters the park through Mihimukh. The water from the Karbi hills enters the park throughout the year through Kohora, Diffloo, Deopani and Deosar rivers.
And these rivers are the main source of drinking water for the wild animals. According to sources, the PHE Dept is continuing the construction of a luxurious guest house at Kohora along with the water supply scheme for supplying 2,00,000 litres of drinking water from Geleki to Bagori, and for this construction of a water reservoir of 50,000-litre capacity is in progress. Due to this reservoir an acute shortage of water at Mihimukh has been witnessed. If steps are not initiated immediately, the reservoir will certainly hit the animals hard.
