Assam flood situation continue to deteriorate; 3.63 lakh people affected

Guwahati, Aug. 30 (PTI): The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Monday with two persons losing their lives and over 3.63 lakh people suffering in the deluge across 17 districts, an official bulletin said.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one child each drowned in the floodwaters at Chenga in Barpeta district and Mayong in Morigaon.

More than 3,63,100 persons were affected by the floods in Barpeta, Biswanath, Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, West Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, South Salmara and Tinsukia districts, it said.

Lakhimpur is the worst-hit district with more than 1.3 lakh people suffering, followed by Majuli with nearly 65,000 persons and Darrang with over 41,300 people being affected.

Till Sunday, over 2.58 lakh people were affected by the flood across 14 districts of the state.

At present, 950 villages are under water and 30,333.36 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, ASDMA said.

Authorities are running 44 relief camps and distribution centres in 10 districts, where 1,619 people, including 321 children, are taking shelter, it said.

The bulletin stated that different relief agencies have evacuated 470 persons from various parts of the state.

The authorities have distributed 621.34 quintals of rice, dal and salt, 578.82 litres of mustard oil, 100 quintals of cattle feed and other flood relief items.

Massive erosions were witnessed in Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nalbari and South Salmara district, the bulletin said.

Roads and other infrastructure have been damaged by floodwaters in Barpeta, Darrang, Golaghat, Morigaon, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, and Tinsukia, ASDMA said.

A total of 2,56,144 domestic animals and poultry were affected in the deluge, it added.

According to a report issued by the Central Water Commission, the Brahmaputra is flowing in “above normal to severe flood situations” in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Goalpara, Kamrup and Dhubri districts.

“Also tributaries of Brahmaputra, namely Beki in Barpeta, Jia Bharali in Sonitpur, Dikhow in Sivasagar, Sankosh in Dhubri, Subansiri in Lakhimpur, Dhansiri in Golaghat, Gaurang in Kokrajhar and Puthimari in Kamrup districts are flowing in above normal to severe flood situations.

“Kushiyara river (Barak and others) in Karimganj are flowing in above normal flood situation,” it said.