Pakke, Arunachal Pradesh : An inflatable boat that was rapidly arranged by the Wild Rescue programme of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has finally reached its destination after a week’s delay enroute. The arrival of the boat has finally facilitated attempts at ferrying supplies to the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) on the west bank of Pakke River located in the north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Flash floods in the 1st week of July damaged the only bridge that linked the two banks of the river. This led to a grim situation since people at CBRC on the West bank are totally dependent on the east bank for supplies. Flood waters broke the embankments on the east bank of Pakke River and submerged most settlements in lower Seijosa town, depositing a large amount of silt. Seijosa is located very close to the Assam border near Tezpur.

Dr. Prabal Sarkar, a Senior Field Officer at CBRC described the aftermath of the floods. “The Irrigation Inspection Bungalow, Forest Dept. staff quarters, Public Works Department guest house, Forest Range office and the Divisional Forest Officer’s residence were submerged and the only bridge that connects the two banks of the river has been damaged,” he said.

The CBRC run by WTI in partnership with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was unaffected by the flash flood as it is located on the west bank of Pakke River . It was the east bank that bore the brunt of the flash floods, where the towns of Lower Seijosa and Upper Seijosa are located.

The four bears at the centre have recently been shifted to their new enclosures to prepare them for release into the wild. These shelters are 10 times larger than the temporary shelters that housed them so far. The facility in addition also has a 5,000 sq. m. acclimatization zone with plenty of large trees, shrubs and climbers for the bears to use.

As floods have submerged most of the roads from Guwahati in Assam , the new boat could not be delivered till the roads opened to traffic. Meanwhile a boat sent by the Nameri National Park authorities kept ferrying supplies to CBRC. However, this boat is damaged and in need of repair. The new inflatable boat will thus be very helpful at this hour of need.

Although water has receded, heavy silt deposits, uprooted trees and logs have blocked the roadway to the damaged bridge. The Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh will also use the boat in patrolling the river.