25 Assam districts affected by flood, death toll rises to 22

Floodwater spread to 25 of Assam's 33 districts on Monday, affecting over 13.2 lakh people and claiming four more lives to push the death toll to 22, said the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. The ASDMA said in a bulletin two people died in Dibrugarh and one each in Barpeta and Goalpara districts.

The deluge spread to Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Udalguri, Chirang, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon, Hojai, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and West Karbi Anglong districts.

Barpeta was the worst-hit with over 3 lakh people affected, followed by South Salmara with 1.95 lakh, Nalbari 1.17 lakh, and Morigaon and Dhemaji with almost 1 lakh each. At present, 2,404 villages are under water in 72 revenue circles and 83,168.08 hectares of farm area with standing crops submerged, ASDMA said.

The SDRF, district administrations, civil defence and Inland Water Transport department are continuing with their evacuation operations and have rescued 10,207 persons during the last 24 hours in seven districts, it said.

Floodwater also entered the one-horn great Indian rhino habitats of Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district, it added.

The district authorities are running 273 relief camps and distribution centres across 12 districts where 27,452 people are taking shelter currently.

The authorities have distributed rice, dal, salt and mustard oil along with other relief materials such as tarpaulin, baby food, snacks, candle, match box, drinking water, milk, biscuit and mosquito coil among the inmates of the relief camps.

The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati, Neamatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, Goalpara town in Goalpara and Dhubri town in Dhubri districts.

Its tributaries Burhi Dihing at Chenimari in Dibrugarh district, Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing in Sonitpur, Kopili at Kampur in Nagaon, Puthimari at NH Road Crossing in Kamrup, Pagladiya at NT Road Crossing in Nalbari, Manas at NH Road Crossing at Barpeta, Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta and Sankosh at Golakganj in Dhubri are flowing above the danger mark, ASDMA said.

Embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and many other infrastructure have been damaged at various places in Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Udalguri, Baksa, Kamrup, Dhubri, Majuli, Kokrajhar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Morigaon, Hojai, Sivasagar and West Karbi Anglong districts.

Massive erosions have also been witnessed at different places of Biswanath district, ASDMA added.

(Photo Credit: PTI)