Flash floods wash away parts of Manas National Park

Barpeta Road, July 13: Flash floods carrying trees and huge amounts of silt washed away parts of the Manas National Park in India's north eastern Assam state, killing a large number of deer, the director of the park, Mr Abhijit Rabha, said today. There are no immediate reports of human or other casualties.

According to Rabha, the boat camp, which had fibre glass and inflatable boats, was completely washed away leaving the staff stranded. This is the first major flood after 1985 and its cause could be a dam under construction on the Manas river near the Bhutan border. The road from Barpeta to Kokrajhar has been breached with the park completely cut off. Details of damage are awaited.

Manas, a premier tiger reserve on the Border of Bhutan and a UNESCO heritage site, had been recovering from almost of a decade of armed Bodo tribal militancy, after peace agreement was signed last year. Militancy had wiped out a 100-strong greater one horned rhinoceros population in this park, burning out a large part.