Staff Reporter
Guwahati: As the days roll by, pathetic scenes continue to wrack the people with grief, after having already been devastated by the recent deluge in the Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat districts. Now, dead bodies of the missing people are emerging from the muck and debris left behind. People in the Golaghat district are also on the verge of danger, as the Dhansiri River is flowing above the danger level again, after the water level had receded somewhat in the past few days.
Today, three bodies were recovered in Bihubar Nepalikhuti, one of the worst-affected areas in the Nazira constituency. The flash floods had left the three individuals missing, among many others. Local people identified them as Dipali Panika, Smriti Panika and Tileswari Boro Karmakar. Police and local people recovered the dead bodies from the muck that the floodwaters left behind.
A local police official said, "The floodwaters came all of a sudden on July 19. I personally witnessed bamboo bushes flowing down with the rushing water. I immediately informed the local administration. Until now, we've recovered 11 dead bodies. These are heart-wrenching scenes."
The husband of Dipali Panika said that all three, whose dead bodies were found today, were together at that time, and the floodwaters washed them away. Radhika Panika, another member of the family, remains missing.
Mainly, people from the Nepali community reside in the area called Nepalikhuti, and many earn their living from the dairy business. They are now devastated as most of the cows have been washed away. A woman from the area said, "We rushed out of our houses on that fateful Sunday, when the floodwaters rushed into our houses. Today, when we returned to our home, we saw that everything's gone. We had five cows, and we educated our children with the money earned from them. Now, there's not a single cow to be seen and our house is completely damaged. We don't know what we'll do now."
The place called Tengapukhuri Semenigaon in the Charaideo district has also seen total destruction. People returning home are left at a loss for words. A person of that area said, "We are left speechless at the damage to our houses and belongings. I had parked my car on the road in front of our house, but it was washed away."
Lakwa, also in Charaideo district, is another place where some people are unable to return home because their houses are still submerged. A resident of that area said, "Today, I ventured home but couldn't remain there, as knee-deep water and mud are still inside. There's a namghar on slightly higher ground in our village, and ten of the families here are taking shelter in it. I had around 150 chickens but could locate only three-four of them. Three cows and five goats I possessed are also washed away, and I don't know what happened to them. I don't know where we will restart our lives. We request the state government to look towards us."
Alengmora in the Jorhat district, popularly known for vegetable production, is in ruins. Floodwaters have damaged all the vegetables. A farmer of that locality said, "We send our vegetables to markets in Jorhat and other places in Upper Assam. We also rear livestock. But now all our produce and fields are destroyed. We request the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister to provide us with financial assistance in this desperate situation we find ourselves in."
Meanwhile, the Dhansiri River is again flowing above the danger level at Numaligarh in the Golaghat district. The evening CWC report says that the water level is now at 78.58 m, against the danger level of 78.42 m. Some other rivers like Noa Dihing, Buri Dihing, Dikhow, Disang, Puthimari, Gaurang, Sankosh, etc., are also showing a rising trend.
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