Published 11:43 IST, July 27th 2020
Assam floods: 132 animal deaths reported at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
With the floodwater slowly receding, officials fear the death toll may increase, as they begin to recover bodies of the drowned animals
As Assam continues to reel under the effects of the flood, the Kaziranga National Park which has been one of the worst-hit regions in the state has been reporting a rise in the wildlife deaths. As per latest reports of the Assam Government, 132 animal deaths have been recorded at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Bokahat. This includes 14 rhinos, 5 wild buffaloes, 8 wild boars, 2 swamp deer, 98 hog deer, 1 sambar, 3 porcupines and 1 Python.
A week ago, nearly 90 per cent of the national park's 430 sq km area was under inundation. The officials have been constantly working towards rescuing the animals stranded along with its forest camps. However, with the floodwater slowly receding, officials fear the death toll may increase, as they begin to recover bodies of the drowned animals.
President takes stock of the situation
Meanwhile, on Saturday, President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the flood situation and expressed solidarity with the people of the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also assured the state Chief Minister of the Centre's support to battle the natural calamity. The total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslide has gone up to 122, while nearly 25 lakh people have been affected.
Goalpara is the worst-hit district with over 4.7 lakh people suffering, followed by Barpeta with more than 4.6 lakh people and Morigaon with around 3.8 lakh people affected. The SDRF, district administrations and local people have rescued 1,350 people during the last 24 hours by deploying 99 boats across the state.
At present, 2,543 villages are completely submerged underwater and 1,22,573.16 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, ASDMA said. It further said authorities are running 496 relief camps and distribution centres across 22 districts, where 50,136 people are taking shelter currently.
Updated 11:43 IST, July 27th 2020