Assam floods claimed five more lives on Monday, even as the overall situation improved marginally with around 8 lakh people affected across 17 districts in the state.
According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three persons lost their lives in Morigaon district of Central Assam.
It said one each died in Goalpara and Golaghat districts.
With this, the total number of persons losing their lives in this year's flood-related cases has gone up to 65, including eight in Guwahati.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday directed all deputy commissioners to ensure that families affected by the floods were provided with relief materials, irrespective of whether they were staying in relief camps or not.
Reviewing the situation in a video-conference with the DCs, he asked them to take steps for repairing and rebuilding houses that were damaged fully or partially by floods.
At the Kaziranga National Park, 28 per cent of the area was under water.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported that 2,450 villages are submerged in water at present and more than 86,000 hectares of crop areas are inundated. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries flowing above the danger level have flooded the state.
Across the state, over 14 lakh animals and poultry have been affected by the flood. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also visited the Kaziranga National Park and directed officials to maintain a close vigil on the movement of animals so that they don't fall victim to poachers. Sonowal expressed concern over the damage caused by the devastating floods.
A Central team led by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited some of the flood-hit areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to assess the damage.
According to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), 17 hog deer were rescued from the Kaziranga National Park today, out of which 13 were released back to the wild.
“Two were found dead on arrival and two are under care at CWRC. One male rhino calf, aged about 3-4 months, was displaced from Burhapahar Forest Range due to the floods and has been admitted today," it said in a statement.
More than 17.43 lakh people are suffering at present in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Jorhat, Golaghat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Cachar, Karimganj, Kamrup and Hailakandi districts.
Authorities are running 382 relief camps and distribution centres in 19 districts, where 28,937 persons are currently taking shelter.
The Government has initiated rescue and relief operation in the flood-ravaged state. Rice, dal, salt and mustard oil have been distributed among the flood victims during the last 24 hours, ASDMA said.
Video editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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