Assam floods affect over 4 lakh, situation grim

The flood situation continued to be grim across Assam on Sunday, affecting over four lakh people in six districts as five more persons were killed in last 24 hours, taking the toll to nine.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that a total of 4,48,495 persons in 673 villages of Hojai, Cachar, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Karimganj, and West Karbi Anglong were severely affected, while surging river waters have also affected crop areas in Nagaon and Morigaon districts.

"Five persons (one each from Karimganj and Hailakandi and three from Cachar) have lost their lives on Sunday in the flood taking the total death toll to nine in the first wave of flood this year," said an ASDMA official, adding that embankment breaches have also been reported in six places in Hojai.

"In Karimganj, natural embankment breach has occurred at three points in Longai river and also two more such incidents has been reported by Executive Engineer, Water Resource Division, Karimganj, where public has cut out the embankment themselves," the official said.

While the Brahmaputra river is flowing above danger level at Neamatighat (Jorhat), Dhansiri river is flowing above danger level at Numaligarh in Golaghat.

Similarly, Jia Bharali is flowing above danger level at Sonitpur followed by Kopili at Nagaon, Barak river (Cachar) and Badarpurghat (Karimganj), and Kushiyara river is flowing above danger level at Karimganj.

The National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams have been engaged into service in the flood-affected areas for search and rescue operation. "Today 6,153 persons were rescued in from Karimganj district, Hailakandi, and Cachar by SDRF and NDRF personnel," an official said.

A total of 235 camps are operational in Karimganj, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong (west), Hojai and Cachar with 1,73,245 taking shelter in them as of Sunday. As many as 246 Relief Distribution Centres are also operational in Hojai, Cachar and Karimganj.