It is estimated that 20 rhinos have crossed the border from Bardiya National Park to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India.
What you should know
The water in the Geruwa River, a tributary of the Karnali River, is drying up with the onset of winter. As the water in the Geruwa River, which used to flow rapidly for the past 8 years, has dried up, rhinos and other wildlife from the Bardiya National Park have started migrating.
The water in the Geruwa River, which used to flow freely all year round until about 2 decades ago, is gradually drying up. Since there is no sufficient water for the rhinos, they are migrating to the Katarniaghat Reserve, which is connected to the neighboring country.
Conservationist Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said that the abundant water there is becoming a habitat for the rhinos here. He said that unless there is sufficient water in the Geruwa River, the wildlife will migrate to the Indian reserve and the Bardiya National Park will reach zero.
Recently, during the monitoring conducted by the park, 20 rhinos have reached the Katarniaghat Wildlife Reserve under the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh state, which is connected to Bardiya. The Geruwa River was the main source of water for the wildlife in the western part of the Bardiya National Park. As the water is drying up, the rhinos and dolphins of the Bardiya National Park have migrated to the Katarniaghat Wildlife Reserve on the Indian border.
Bardiya National Park Information Officer Sarojmani Poudel estimated that 20 rhinos had migrated to the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India via Bardiya National Park. He said that the reality will come out after the rhino census in Chaitra.
The water situation in the Indian reserve is good for rhinos and dolphins have reached sufficient water due to the dam built on the Karnali River there. Senior Conservation Officer Poudel said that while there were plenty of dolphins in the Karnali River two decades ago, only three have been seen recently. In the past, dolphins, as well as rare fish and aquatic birds, were abundant in the Geruwa River. Now, aquatic animals including dolphins are no longer found here. Most of the aquatic animals have migrated to India, says Geruwa Rural Municipality Chairman Jaman Singh KC.
The Karnali River divides about 3 km south of Chisapani and flows east and west. After the closure of Geruwa, water has started drying up in the rivers and streams in the western area adjacent to the park. Ramashankar Tharu of Thakurbaba-8 said that the water problem in Geruwa will continue until the water is distributed by permanently removing the gravel and stones and building a concrete dam. ‘On one hand, the wildlife and on the other hand, the farmers have not got water for farming,’ he said, ‘It is necessary to remove the gravel, stones and sand and build a concrete dam in Lalmatia to ensure abundant water flow throughout the twelve months.’
The Babai and Bhangalo Geruwa rivers of Karnali flow through Bardiya Park. The Babai, on the other hand, flows from Parewa Odar towards Gulariya through Chepang, the eastern border of the park, in Basgadhi Municipality-1. Although 52 ponds and 55 solar boreholes have been installed for wildlife within the park, some of the ponds have dried up. The park has stated that elephants have broken solar panels in some places. The number of wildlife in the Bardiya National Park, which is spread over an area of 968 square kilometers, is increasing. The latest census of the park shows that there are 125 tigers. It is estimated that there are about 120 elephants. However, despite having sufficient water sources, conflicts between humans and wildlife are increasing due to the lack of removal of gravel, stones, sand and wood trapped in the groves, said Mohammad Kar Khan, a secretariat member of the Forest Users Federation.
