Heavy rains worsen flood situation in Assam; toll rises to 44

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The flood situationin Assam has once again deteriorated following heavy to very heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) daily flood bulletin issued on Sunday stated that two fatalities have been reported from Kampur and Kaliabor, taking the flood-related toll across the State to 44.

Till Sunday evening, floodwaters affected 12,97,241 people and submerged 82,546.82 hectares of croplands in 24 districts – Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon, West Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. Altogether 21,071 are taking shelter in 224 relief camps across the State.

Brahmaputra in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sonitpur and Dhubri, Burhidihing in Dibrugarh, Disang in Sivasagar, Dhansiri in Golaghat, Jia Bharali in Sonitpur, Puthimari in Kamrup, Pagladiya in Nalbari, Beki in Barpeta, Gauranga in Kokrajhar and Sankosh in Dhubri are flowing above the danger level.

The floodwaters have damaged a number of embankments in Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Udalguri, Jorhat and Tinsukia districts along with a number of roads in Nalbari, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Udalguri and Tinsukia districts. Again, incidents of flood-triggered erosion have also been reported from Biswanath, Kokrajhar, Udalguri and Baksa districts.

Altogether 46 camps in Kaziranga National Park, 12 camps in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and six camps in Orang National park have been inundated in floodwaters.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked the Ministers to rush to their respective districts and be with the affected people as well as ensure that the district administrations expedite the relief and rescue operations.

Taking stock of the flood situation in the State at a meeting in the Chief Minister's residence here on Sunday evening with Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Sonowal asked the MPs and MLAs to stand by the flood affected people and lend their hands in relief and rescue operations

Sonowal also asked the Deputy Commissioners to take help of the NDRF and SDRF personnel for reaching out to the affected people. He asked the in-charge Ministers, MPs and MLAs of the affected districts to help the district administrations and work in coordination to help the affected people.

Sonowal also took stock of the vast networks of embankments of the State as well as the embankments which have been breached by the consecutive waves of flood.

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