Assam flood situation improves; two more dead, over 5.5 lakh hit

Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The flood situation in Assam improved on Thursday even though two more people lost their lives and over 5.5 lakh people across 12 districts are reeling under the deluge, an official bulletin said.

According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person each died in Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts.

With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslide has increased to 21.

The report said more than 5.6 lakh people are affected by floods in Biswanath, Cachar, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon and Sribhumi districts.

Sribhumi is the worst-hit district with over 2.15 lakh people suffering, followed by Hailakandi (almost 1.8 lakh) and Cachar (over 80,000 people), it added.

Till Wednesday, almost 6.8 lakh people were suffering in flood waters across 16 districts of the state.

The administration has been operating 385 relief camps and relief distribution centres in 10 districts, taking care of 41,413 displaced people at present.

The authorities have distributed 3872.88 quintals of rice, 734.06 quintals of dal, 240.67 quintals of salt and 19403.03 litres of mustard oil among the flood victims of the state since Wednesday.

At present, 1,433 villages are under water and 19,345.34 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, the ASDMA said.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Darrang, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup, Nagaon, Cachar, Biswanath, Hojai, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Morigaon and Sribhumi.

At present, the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger marks at Dhubri town.

Its tributaries Burhidihing at Chenimari and Kopili at Kampur and Dharamtul are flowing above the danger levels.

The Barak is flowing above the danger level at AP Ghat and BP Ghat, while its tributaries Dhaleswari at Gharmura, Katakhal at Matizuri and Kushiyara at Sribhumi are also flowing above the danger marks, ASDMA said.

On account of widespread flooding, over 4.36 lakh domestic animals and poultry are affected across the state.

A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said train services in various parts of southern Assam have been affected due to the rising water level on the railway tracks and waterlogging at washing pits, particularly in Silchar.

Railway personnel are working round-the-clock to clear the tracks, the spokesperson said.

Some short-distance passenger trains have been cancelled but long-distance ones are operating, he added.

The rising water of the Brahmaputra and River Kohora has inundated vast tracts of Kaziranga National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage site, an official said.

Flood water has inundated 23 camps so far, with animals taking shelter in elevated areas. In some places, it is showing a receding trend.

Some animals, particularly deer, are moving towards the highlands in Karbi Anglong by crossing the NH-715.

Barricades have been set up at several places along the highway to maintain the speed limit of cars below 40 km per hour, the official said.

Patrolling by forest personnel has been intensified both inside and outside the Park.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited urban flood-affected areas in north Guwahati and interacted with people reeling under the impact of rising water.

"In North Guwahati, I met with people affected by #AssamFloods. We have housed them in shelter homes and ensured that all facilities are available to them," the chief minister posted on X.

"Over the coming days, we will work to improve the drainage system to mitigate the intensity of floods in the affected area," he added. PTI TR DG SBN TR NN