Kaziranga's Southern Boundary Faces Mining Threat

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is facing a significant ecological threat from renewed riverbed excavation. This activity is occurring within the park's proposed Eco-Sensitive Zone along its southern boundary. A resident of Diphu has petitioned environmental authorities, alleging large-scale, mechanized sand mining operations in the Deihori River.

The petition details the use of heavy machinery like excavators and dumpers, which are reportedly causing substantial ecological damage to the river and its inhabitants. The Deihori River is crucial for local Scheduled Tribe populations, supporting biodiversity, fisheries, and daily domestic needs. Extraction activities are claimed to be conducted against sustainable sand-mining principles.

Concerns have been raised about the destabilization of the riverbed, altered water morphology, and increased water turbidity. Furthermore, the operation of heavy machinery near the river poses risks of contamination from fuels and lubricants. The leaseholder for the sand and gravel quarry has been identified, and authorities are yet to verify the allegations of regulatory violations.

Conservationists warn that this mining, alongside illegal stone quarrying and hill-cutting in the Karbi Anglong hills, could devastate Kaziranga National Park. These hills are a vital refuge for wildlife during monsoon floods, and the degradation of rivers flowing from them poses a severe risk, potentially mirroring disasters seen elsewhere due to unregulated mining.