Assam Floods: Seven Dead, Six Lakh Affected as Situation Worsens

Brahmaputra and its tributaries have overflown their banks in 14 districts of Assam affecting six lakh people.

Indo-Bhutan Asian highway overflows with flood water at Banarhat in Jalpaiguri District on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

Floods in Assam have claimed seven lives till Sunday, and affected over six lakh people in 14 districts of the state, besides inundating Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora wildlife sanctuary along with Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.

One person died in North Lakhimpur town of Lakhimpur district and another at Mayong in Morigain district, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

The swollen Brahmaputra and its tributaries have overflown their banks in Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Morigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Nagaon and Dhubri districts.

An old woman being carried by an army man in flood hit Assam. (Photo: Maina Dutta)

“As of Sunday, 6,41,043 people in 1,206 villages in the 14 districts remain affected due to the floods. The concerned district administrations have opened 81 relief camps in the flood hit districts housing 21,931 marooned people,” an ASDMA official said.

Large areas of the Kaziranga National park and Dibru-Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary have been flooded forcing animals to take refuge in platforms built for their succour, forest department officials said.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the densest habitat of one-horned rhinos, in Morigaon district has half of its area inundated, forcing all wild animals to seek shelter in nearby highlands. Several link roads to Pobitora are also submerged, the officials added.

The Indian Army monitored rescue operations and evacuated people from the flood hit areas. (Photo: Maina Dutta)

Officials of the Central Water Commission said that while the Brahmaputra river is flowing above danger level at Dibrugarh, Neematighat, Tezpur, Golapara and Dhubri, some of the tributaries of the Brahmaputra are also showing increasing trend. The Burhidehing, Subansiri and Dhansiri rivers are flowing above danger levels.

Similarly, Jia Bharali and Sankosh river are also flowing above danger level in various districts of the state.

(With inputs from PTI, IANS.)