Assam flood situation worsens, nearly 1.95 lakh affected

Agencies
GUWAHATI, JUNE 11

The flood situation in Assam has deteriorated drastically, affecting more than 1.95 lakh people in over 550 villages and destroying crops in more than 8,200 hectares in the Bramhaputra valley, said reports on Thursday.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its daily flood report that more than 1.95 lakh people have been hit in the first wave of flood in Assam and as of now in 553 villages across Barpeta, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Darrang, Nalbari, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Baksa, Dibrugarh and Kamrup districts.
Till yesterday, 81,000 people were affected. The flood death toll remained two, one each in Bongaigaon and Lakhimpur.The report said Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat district, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur and Puthimari at NH Road crossing in Kamrup district.
Ferry services to Majuli Island have been suspended due to rising water level and strong current in Brahmaputra river.
Lakhimpur has been worst-hit so far with 60,000 people reeling under floods there, followed by Barpeta where nearly more than 43,000 have been affected, it said adding the flood waters have inundated more than 8,200 hectares of crop areas.
Authorities have opened three relief camps at Tinsukia and one at Sonitpur where a total of 273 people are taking shelter.
ASDMA said a total 38 roads, bridges and culverts were damaged in Baksa, Tinsukia, Barpeta, Darrang, Nalbari and Sonitpur, while at least 11 breaches were noticed in embankments in a number of districts across the state.
Assam Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bhumidhar Barman and Water Resource Minister Basanta Das today held a meeting with other senior officials of the state on the flood situation and discussed issues such as mitigation steps and provision for relief and rescue materials.
Instructions have been issued to the deputy commissioners of the affected districts to provide relief and rehabilitate the affected, an official release said.
Barman said sufficient food stock and medicines have been kept ready to tackle the flood.
The authorities have opened two toll free helplines — 1070 for State Emergency Operation Centre and 1077 for District Emergency Operation Centre, official sources said.
Ferry services halted in Assam as Brahmaputra rises
Ferry services connecting Assam’s river island Majuli with the rest of the state were stopped on Thursday due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra river, authorities said.
The water level of the river at Nematighat in Jorhat district was 1.14 cm above the danger mark, forcing the district administration to suspend the ferry services.
Floods have affected Ahotguri, Kamalabari, Solmara and Gormur areas of the island, authorities said, adding that erosion had also caused damage in Teteliguri and Ahotguri areas.
The floods have hit 13 districts and affected more than 200,000 people with the latest reports that more areas were being submerged by the surging water of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries across the state.
The Kamrup district administration has also suspended ferry services between Guwahati and north Guwahati after 6 p.m. from Thursday.
In Barpeta, the flood situation continues to be grim, forcing people to leave their houses and take shelter in relief camps. Flood waters have inundated large areas of paddy fields destroying the standing crops.
The situation has worsened in Lakhimpur district, where the Brahmaputra and its tributaries such as the Dikrong, Pabha and Kakoi, were flowing above the danger mark, officials said.
Large areas in Dhemaji district have also been inundated by the surging waters of the Jiyadhal river. Heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh has led to the over flowing of Jiyadhal and Kumatiya rivers in the district.