Flood continues to play havoc with Assam

OUR BUREAU

GUWAHATI/HAILAKANDI, June 17: The death toll across the State has risen to 12 on the fifth day of the first spate of floods and accompanying landslides today. According to reports, nine persons lost their lives in floods while three died in landslides. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, five persons were reported dead today. Of them, while three died in Cachar, one each in Karimganj and Hailakandi till reports last came in. The flood situation in Barak valley is still critical and Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta has toured Hailakandi district to take stock of the situation. And, according to NFR sources, the district is still cut off from the mainstream.

The total number of affected population has risen to 4,48,495 in 673 number of villages across six districts of Hojai, Cachar, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Karimganj, and West Karbi Anglong. Crop areas have been also affected in the floods in Nagaon and Morigaon districts.

The rivers flowing above the danger level are the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat (Jorhat), Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat), Jia Bharali at NT Rd Xing (Sonitpur), Kopili at Kampur (Nagaon), Barak at AP Ghat (Cachar) and Badarpurghat (Karimganj), Katakhal at Matizuri (Hailakandi), and Kushiyara at Karimganj (Karimganj).

Embankment breaches have been reported in six places in Hojai and Karimganj. Natural embankment breaches have occurred at three points in Longai river and also two more such incidents have been reported by the Executive Engineer, Water Resource Division, Karimganj, where public has cut out the embankments themselves.

NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams have been pressed into service in the flood-affected areas for search and rescue operations. SDRF and NDRF personnel rescued 6,153 persons in Karimganj district, Hailakandi, and Cachar. A total of 235 camps are operational in Karimganj, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong (west), Hojai and Cachar with 1,73,245 inmates. 246 number of Relief Distribution Centres are also operational in Hojai, Cachar and Karimganj districts.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in Hailakandi district remained unchanged with the rivers Katakhal, Dholeswari and Barak flowing above the danger level.

More than two lakh people have been affected in the worst flood-hit district of Assam. Around 55,000 affected people, housed in 87 relief camps, have been provided with food, medicine and water purifier packets. Medical teams have been pressed into service in the affected areas.

Several roads, are still under a sheet of water, disrupting vehicular movement.

“Altogether 316 persons have so far been evacuated to safer places by SDRF and NDRF personnel,” Deputy Commissioner Adil Khan said.

Of the four revenue circles, Lala has been badly affected by the floods with close to 60,000 people of 40 villages hit.

One person died yesterday while another youth is missing.

The flood has damaged 11 roads and 1,468 hectares of cropland affecting 23,732 farm families of 223 villages, district officials said.