Assam floods: 46 dead, over 16.25 lakh people affected as situation worsens

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Wednesday (July 3) with over 16.25 lakh people reeling under the flood waters and eight more people, including a child, losing their lives over the past 24 hours.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood bulletin, a total of 16,25,089 people in 2,800 villages across 27 districts of the state remain affected by the deluge.

On the other hand, while two more persons perished in the gushing flood waters in Sonitpur district, one each died due to drowning in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Biswanath, Morigaon and Darrang districts, the ASDMA bulletin said. 

With this, the floods this year have so far claimed the lives of a total of 46 people. Moreover, three more people, one each in Sivasagar, Golaghat and Sonitpur, have been reported missing, it added.

As many as 29 districts – Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, Golaghat, Majuli, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Cachar, Nagaon, Hojai, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Morigaon, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Goalpara, South Salmara and Dhubri have been affected by the floods, it said. 

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Dhubri is the worst-hit district where 2,23,210 people are suffering, followed by Darrang (1,83,738), Lakhimpur (1,66,063), Golaghat (1,06,594), Cachar (1,05,562) and Nalbari (1,05,366). Altogether 3,86,950 displaced people have been taking shelter in a total of 515 relief camps and relief distribution centres set up by the local administration, it added.

The catastrophic floods have severely affected over 39,451 hectares of crop area, and a total of 11,20,165 livestock and poultry across the flood-hit areas. While the floods have left dozens of houses, roads, bridges and other infrastructures damaged, several embankments have been either breached or affected, the ASDMA bulletin said.

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Multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES), Army, paramilitary force, Inland Water Transport (IWT), civil defence, trained volunteers and local administration have been engaged rescue operations, it added.

While river Burhi Dihing is flowing above the highest flood level mark at Chenimari (Khowang), Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Nimatighat, Tezpur, Dhubri, Guwahati and Goalpara, it said.

On the other hand, river Subansiri is above the danger level at Badatighat, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nanglamuraghat, Dhansiri at Numaligarh, Kopili at Kampur and Dharamtul, Barak at AP Ghat, BP Ghat, Chota Bakra, Fuletrak, Dhaleswari at Gharmura), Katakhal at Matizuri, and Kushiyara at Karimganj, the ASDMA bulletin further said.