Assam flood situation deteriorates, 16.50 lakh people affected in 29 districts

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam further deteriorated with over 16.50 lakh population affected in 29 districts with the major rivers flowing above the danger level across the state on Thursday, an official bulletin said.

An alert has been sounded in Kamrup (Metro) district with the Brahmaputra, Digaru and Kollong rivers flowing above the red mark with vast tracts of land inundated.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to visit flood-affected areas in Maligaon, Pandu Port and Temple Ghat areas in Guwahati Metropolitan area on Thursday to take stock of the situation.

Sarma chaired a meeting on the flood situation with all District Commissioners late on Wednesday night and directed them to be liberal in granting relief as per norms, complete all rehabilitation claims as per norms before August 15 and provide accurate information to the headquarters so that adequate relief can be ensured.

Cabinet ministers will also be camping in the flood-affected districts for the next three days from Thursday.

The death toll in this year's flood, landslide and storm has increased to 56 and three others are reported missing.

The severely affected flood districts are Barpeta, Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, East Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts.

Dhubri is the worst hit with over 2.23 lakh people suffering, followed by Darrang with nearly 1.84 lakh people and Lakhimpur with more than 1.66 lakh people reeling under flood waters. Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks at Nimatighat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Goalpara and Dhubri.

Its tributaries Subansiri at Badatighat, Burhi Dihing at Chenimari, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nanglamuraghat, Dhansiri at Numaligarh, and Kopili at Kampur and Dharamtul are flowing above the danger levels.

The Barak river is flowing above the danger mark at AP Ghat, BP Ghat, Chota Bakra and Fuletrak, while its tributaries Dhaleswari at Gharmura, Katakhal at Matizuri and Kushiyara at Karimganj town and are also flowing above the danger marks.