Assam flood situation improves, nearly 1.5 lakh still affected

Guwahati: Assam's flood situation improved on Wednesday with the water level of major rivers and their tributaries receding even as nearly 1.50 lakh people in seven districts were reeling under the deluge, a bulletin said.

The flood-hit districts witnessed light to moderate rainfall, leading to a fall in the water level of all major rivers flowing below the danger mark, except the Kushiyara river in Karimganj, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

Nearly 1.50 lakh people were reeling under the deluge in Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Kamrup and Karimganj.

The number of affected people was 1.53 lakh on Tuesday.

The toll in this year's flood, landslide and storm has risen to 41 with one death due to drowning reported from Cachar district on Tuesday, the bulletin said.

Karimganj is the worst hit with nearly 84,000 people suffering, followed by Cachar with 52,400 and Darrang with 6,500, it said.

Altogether, 149 camps and relief distribution centres have been set up by the district administrations with over 26,000 people taking shelter there.

At present, 556 villages are currently underwater and 1,547.35 hectares of crop areas have been damaged, according to the bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by floodwater in Chirang, Darrang, Goalpara, Golaghat, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Udalguri, Golaghat, Hojai and Sonitpur.