Assam flood situation worsens further, two more killed

The monsoon flood situation in Assam further deteriorated on Wednesday with now over 6.47 lakh people affected in 22 of the state's 34 districts, officials said.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that two more people drowned in Majuli and Barpeta districts, taking the death toll since August 30 to five.

According to the ASDMA officials, the flood situation was very critical in western Assam's Nalbari district where 1,10,731 people were affected, followed by Darrang district where 1,08,271 people were hit while 1,03,768 people were affected in Lakhimpur, nearly one lakh in Golaghat, 59,393 in Morigaon, and 52,461 in Majuli.

The officials said that around 39,500 hectares of crop areas have been flooded and around 1,300 villages were affected.

Various district authorities have set up 85 relief camps in 10 districts to provide shelter to the flood-affected people.

Over 70 per cent area of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, spanning Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Karbi Anglong districts, has been flooded, affecting and killing some wild animals. According to the park officials, eight hog deer, two swamp deer, and a langur were killed in the current flood.

Over 4.45 lakh domestic animals including poultry were also affected in the flood, which also damaged many assets including highways, bridges, embankments, schools and other government and private properties.