Floods wreak havoc, 4 killed
By Our Staff Reporter
Guwahati, Aug 21: At least four people were killed and five others have gone missing as the flood situation in the State worsened overnight, affecting over 5.76 lakh people in nineteen districts.
The State government has opened 177 relief camps which are sheltering 1.22 lakh displaced people.
Bongaigaon continued to be the worst hit district where 1.68 lakh people have been hit, followed by Kokrajhar where two persons have also been killed.
A passenger vehicle, carrying eleven people of a marriage party, was washed away at Elengmora near Bilasipara. Five passengers have been rescued. A joint team of army, SDRF and NDRF is conducting a search operation. Till the filing of this report, one body has been found, while five others are still missing. One person was also drowned in Chirang, according to the evening bulletin of the State disaster magement authority.
The gushing waters have caused large-scale damage to public infrastructure in Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar and Chirang.
Flood waters have inundated 27 anti-poaching camps inside Kaziranga tiol Park, besides damaging a culvert at the Burapahar Range.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reviewed the situation with Minister for Water Resources Basanta Das and senior officials at Chief Minister's secretariat today.
Gogoi directed the Revenue and Disaster Magement department to take all possible steps to gear up relief and rescue operations. Gogoi also asked the department to provide necessary food, medicine, drinking water, and baby food to relief camp inmates. The Chief Minister instructed the department to take special care of children and women housed in the relief camps.
Senior officials of Revenue and Disaster Magement departments informed the Chief Minister that following embankment breaches, road communication remained disrupted at various places.
Surface communication remains affected between Silchar and Haflong.
Flood waters have submerged the tiol Highway 36 and 37 at various places.
The army has launched six columns of rescuers in the flood-hit districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Bongaigaon.
Detailed recce is being carried out with state officials for furtherance of coordited operations, a defence release said, adding that the personnel are attending distress calls and launching rescue missions.
The Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level at Neamatighat, Tezpur and Dhubri, Jia Bhoroli in Sonitpur, Puthimari in Kamrup, Mas and Beki in Barpeta, Sankosh in Dhubri and Kushiyara in Karimganj.
With the water level of the Brahmaputra rising sharply in Guwahati, ferry services between the city and North Guwahati was suspended from this evening.