Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off a 34.5-km elevated corridor through Assam’s Kaziranga — a project that seeks to reconcile two competing imperatives: infrastructure-led connectivity and wildlife conservation. Designed as a long-term response to frequent animal deaths caused by highway traffic, the corridor reflects a growing policy shift towards eco-sensitive development in fragile landscapes.
Why Kaziranga Needed an Unusual Infrastructure Solution
lies on the floodplains of the Brahmaputra and hosts the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros. It is also home to dozens of mammal species and hundreds of bird species. Seasonal flooding is intrinsic to this ecosystem, forcing animals to move southwards to the higher Karbi Anglong hills before returning when floodwaters recede.
However, National Highway 715 (earlier NH-37), which runs along the park’s southern boundary, has increasingly obstructed this natural movement. Rising traffic volumes, especially heavy vehicles linking eastern Assam to Guwahati, have turned the highway into a major source of wildlife mortality.
What the Elevated Corridor Project Involves
The ₹6,950-crore project forms part of a larger plan to widen an 86.675-km stretch of NH-715 from two lanes to four lanes. Its most significant component is the 34.5-km elevated corridor, which will allow animals to move freely beneath the roadway.
The project includes:
- Upgrading over 30 km of existing highway stretches
- Constructing greenfield bypasses around Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat
- Improving direct connectivity between Guwahati, Kaziranga and the industrial hub of Numaligarh
By elevating vehicular traffic, the design aims to decongest the corridor while restoring ecological connectivity between the national park and the Karbi Anglong hills.
Rising Traffic and Wildlife Mortality
The threat posed by vehicular traffic is well documented. Studies along this highway stretch have recorded thousands of animal deaths over a single year, with a majority occurring during the flood season. High vehicle speeds and uninterrupted traffic flow have been identified as the primary drivers of these fatalities.
These findings underline a key point: development need not stop, but infrastructure passing through sensitive landscapes must incorporate wildlife-friendly design.
Why Existing Measures Were Insufficient
Forest authorities have experimented with interim solutions such as animal sensor systems that trigger traffic regulation when wildlife approaches the road. While useful, these interventions remain limited and reactive, unable to cope with steadily increasing traffic density.
The elevated corridor represents a structural solution — one that separates animal movement from vehicular flow rather than attempting to manage conflicts after they arise.
Construction Concerns and Long-Term Trade-offs
Some conservation groups have expressed concern that construction activity itself could disturb wildlife in the short term through noise, human presence, and habitat disruption. These concerns are valid in a sensitive floodplain ecosystem.
However, conservation experts argue that with strict safeguards to minimise disturbance during construction, the long-term ecological gains outweigh temporary impacts. Given rising traffic volumes, inaction would likely result in even higher wildlife mortality.
A Broader Lesson for Infrastructure Planning
The Kaziranga elevated corridor reflects a shift in thinking: conservation boundaries drawn by humans do not align with ecological realities. Animals respond to landscapes, not park maps. By redesigning infrastructure to respect these movements, the project attempts to integrate development and conservation rather than treating them as opposing goals.
If implemented effectively, it could offer a template for future highways passing through forests, floodplains and wildlife corridors across India.
What to Note for Prelims?
- Kaziranga National Park: location, ecological significance, flood dynamics
- National Highway 715 and its role in Assam’s connectivity
- Concept of wildlife corridors and elevated highways
What to Note for Mains?
- Discuss how infrastructure development can be aligned with wildlife conservation
- Analyse the challenges of road construction in floodplain and protected ecosystems
- Evaluate the Kaziranga elevated corridor as a model of sustainable development
