Flood condition worsens in Assam; 2 more die, 6.48 lakh hit

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Wednesday with two more persons losing their lives and nearly 6.48 lakh people across 17 districts suffering from the deluge, an official bulletin said.

One person each drowned in Barpeta and Majuli districts, taking the total number of fatalities to five, according to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). ASDMA said more than 6,47,600 people are affected due to floods in 17 districts. Nalbari is the worst-hit district with more than 1.11 lakh people suffering, followed by Darrang with over 1.09 lakh people and Lakhimpur having 1.04 lakh people being affected.

On Tuesday, the number of affected districts was 18 but that of the flood-hit people was less - 5.74 lakh. At present, 1,295 villages are under water and 39,449.58 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, ASDMA said. Authorities are running 85 relief camps and distribution centres in 10 districts, where 3,584 people, including 648 children, have taken shelter.

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The bulletin said various relief agencies have evacuated 1,617 people from various flood-hit parts of the state.

The 17 affected districts are Barpeta, Biswanath, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia.

Massive erosions have been witnessed in Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Morigaon and Nalbari districts, the bulletin said. Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Golaghat, Biswanath, Barpeta, Chirang, Goalpara, Jorhat, Morigaon, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Darrang and Kokrajhar, ASDMA said.

A total of 4,45,210 domestic animals and poultry have been affected by the deluge across 15 districts, it added. Meanwhile, the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve authorities said 70 per cent of the forest has been submerged by floodwaters of the Brahmaputra.

Out of 223 camps, 138 are inundated. Due to the flood and related incidents, eight hog deer, two swamp deer and one cap langur have died so far, while a rhino calf was rescued and is now under treatment at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation.

According to 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 river in Barpeta, Jia Bharali in Sonitpur, Sankosh in Dhubri, Subansiri in Lakhimpur districts are flowing in above normal to severe flood situations with falling trends," it added.