This morning the river a hundred metres from my mosquito net and me had dropped to a manageable level but you can see that the domestic elephant still had to do a bit of snorkeling. She and the mahouts were getting fodder to feed the elephants at Hatisar. These elephants are primarily used for patrolling (anti-poaching) and sometimes rescue. In conditions like these elephant back is the only option to get to certain areas of the jungle.
The Terai, the country's food belt is cleaning up the mess after the flash floods. About 100 people are known to have died, we'll never know the exact figure. Another serious concern is crop damage in areas where food security is already an issue. With poverty a major factor this latest challenge from nature is yet another blow to Nepal's efforts to move into the category of 'developing country' by 2022, it is now looking doubtful that can happen. This country gets hit hard frequently and struggles to cope. Both internally and externally the support is lacking and from an environmentalist's point of view that is deadly serious because this is a key area on our planet with regard to biodiversity and ecological importance.
Where I am we still don't have electricity but a little sun has meant solar powered batteries have enough juice to send a few messages. Landline and cellular phone connections have been down and we are still cut off from main transport routes. It's not fun... even for elephants but at least they can drink the water...
