Threats to Kaziranga National Park: Land-Use Changes and Mining Activities
Concerns Over Wildlife Conservation
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Kaziranga, June 11: The ongoing transformation of land use, characterized by encroachments, expanding urban areas, and increasing industrial activities around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, poses a significant threat to the region's wildlife, raising critical concerns about the future of conservation efforts.
Essential wildlife corridors that connect Kaziranga with the Karbi Anglong forests are also suffering from these disruptive activities.
Experts in conservation attribute this situation to the lack of action from park authorities, the Forest Department, and the State Government, noting a troubling absence of measures to curb the escalating land-use changes and other harmful activities in the surrounding buffer zones and corridors.
This deadlock persists despite clear directives from the Supreme Court prohibiting all mining and related operations along the southern edge of Kaziranga National Park and throughout the catchment areas of rivers and streams originating from the Karbi Anglong hills that flow into the park.
Moreover, the Supreme Court has instructed the State Government to refrain from allowing any new constructions, even on private properties that fall within the nine designated animal corridors. The Director General of Police in Assam and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) have also been tasked with ensuring that no mining occurs in the catchment areas of these waterways.
During a recent visit, this correspondent observed alarming activities such as earth filling near the Singijuri water channel, construction projects on the Panbari and Haldhibari corridors, and land-use alterations adjacent to the national park along the highway, extending into the forested regions of Karbi Anglong. Mining operations were also evident on the Karbi Anglong side.
Obtaining an official response regarding these developments proved challenging, as many officials were reluctant to comment.
“There have been some disturbances in a few corridors, and we are investigating. However, since the corridors on non-forest land lack legal protection, it can be difficult to prevent unauthorized activities,” stated a senior official.
The official further noted a significant alteration in habitat on the Karbi Anglong side, highlighting “serious habitat degradation in the North Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary,” which borders Kaziranga’s southern boundary. This degradation has been linked to land allocations to individuals, mining, and shifting cultivation practices.
A conservationist familiar with the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong ecosystem echoed these concerns, stating, “There has been extensive land-use change on the Karbi Anglong side, leading to the erosion of forested areas and the installation of power lines and barriers.”
It is worth noting that last September, both the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court mandated a complete halt to construction in the Segur elephant corridor in the Nilgiris, ordering the demolition of numerous resorts obstructing the corridor.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), appointed by the Supreme Court, has also been closely monitoring developments around Kaziranga, urging the Assam Government and KAAC to take necessary actions to prevent illegal activities near Kaziranga and in the Karbi Anglong hills. Following its interventions, some measures, such as the suspension of certain mining leases, were implemented, yet many operations continue unabated.
In a letter dated March 20, 2025, addressed to the Special Chief Secretary of the Environment & Forest Department in Assam, the CEC emphasized that since the mining leases are located within the proposed Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), they should have been revoked rather than merely suspended. The CEC also instructed that no new mining leases be issued in these areas, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives.
Environmental activist Rohit Choudhury, who filed a petition with the CEC regarding illegal activities threatening Kaziranga’s biodiversity, claimed that the mining operations authorized by Karbi Anglong officials along various wildlife corridors connecting Kaziranga and Karbi Anglong Hill were conducted without legal authority. He asserted that these mining permits were issued within the Eco-Sensitive Zone of Kaziranga without prior approval from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), as mandated by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Supreme Court's orders in W.P No. 460/2004.