Assam Floods: 34 dead, 2.62 lakh affected, Kaziranga Park submerged

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 30, 2024

The flood situation turned worse overnight in Assam with the death of 2 more persons, including a 9-month-old girl child, taking the toll to 34 in the first and second waves of the deluge in the state, an official bulletin of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said here on Sunday.

Two deaths have been reported from Dhemaji district.

A nine-month-old girl child Jayshree Narzary drowned in flood water at Ukhamati Pathar under Gogamukh revenue circle on Saturday night. Her body was retrieved on Sunday morning.

An 18-year-old youth Jewel Pegu also drowned in the Siang River when the water level of the river suddenly increased at No 2 Kaman Selek village under Jonai revenue circle on Saturday night. His body was also retrieved on Sunday.

In Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), more than 30 per cent of areas of the park have been submerged by the flood water.

Of 223 forest camps, 26 have been inundated by the floods. No camp has been shifted till the time of filing this report.

The ASDMA bulletin said 2,62,186 people from 671 villages under 36 revenue circles in 12 districts have been affected by the second wave of floods, which began on June 16.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level mark at Dibrugarh and Neamatighat, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Jia-Bharali at Nt Road Crossing, Beki at Road Bridge and Kushiyara is flowing above the danger level mark atKarimganj.

The affected districts are- Kamrup, Karimganj, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Majuli, Cachar, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Kokrajhar and Jorhat.

Dhemaji is the worst affected district followed by Cachar and Tinsukia, the ASDMA said.

In Dhemaji, 69,252 people from 163 villages under Gogamukh, Sissiborgaon, Dhemaji and Jonai revenue circles have been affected by the deluge.

In Cachar, 61,895 people from 43 villages under Katigorah revenue circle have been affected.

In Tinsukia, 45,281 people from 64 villages under Margherita, Sadiya, Tinsukia and Doomdooma revenue circles have been affected.

In Majuli, 34,966 people from 53 villages under Majuli and Ujani Majuli have been affected by the deluge.

2,484 people from 12 villages in Kamrup and Dibrugarh districts have been affected by urban floods.

The water level of Brahmaputra crossed the danger mark in Dibrugarh on Sunday morning.

Dibrugarh has been reeling under severe flooding as many areas are hit hard.

To lessen the water logging problem 8 dewatering pumps are under operation at different places in Dibrugarh town.

To minimise the water logging problem of urban areas DMC and PWD continuously excavated the garbage and silt deposition which blocked the flow of drain water.

One Anjuri Gogoi (74) was rescued by SDRF from drowning in the flood water.

6546.44 hectares of cropland have been submerged by the flood across the state.

The authorities run 44 relief camps and 8 relief distribution centres for the affected people. 2.592 inmates, including 622 children have been sheltered in these relief camps.

19,207 non-camp inmates have been provided food and other relief materials from these relief distribution centres.

217.54 quintals of rice, 38.57 quintals of dal, 11.58 quintals of salr=t and 75.69 litres of mustard oil have been distributed among the affected people.

1,49,009 domestic animals have been affected by the floods. 299.7 quintals of cattle feed (rice bran) were also provided for the affected animals.

The floods also damaged various public infrastructures, including roads and bridges and disrupted road communication in the affected villages.

The flood situation is likely to be worsened as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted more rainfall in the next five days.

“Moderate rain is very likely to occur at most places over Assam. Thunderstorms and lightning is very likely to occur at isolated places. Heavy to very heavy with isolated Hefty rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over the state,” the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) of IMD stated in its weekly weather forecast.

Sonowal reviews flood situations in Dibrugarh

Union minister of ports, shipping & waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal took stock of the worsening flood situations in the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency and the floods affecting the way of life for most in the Dibrugarh city on Sunday.

Sonowal was updated on various efforts undertaken by the government to minimise the impact of the floods on the way of life. As the torrential rain continued to wreak havoc, Sonowal directed the officials for immediate action and emergency measures to secure efforts to minimise damage.

Sonowal discussed the situation with the MLA of Dibrugarh, Prashanta Phukan along with top officials of Dibrugarh Municipality Corporation (DMC) including the mayor Saikat Patra; deputy mayor Ujjwal Phukan; ward commissioners; and the other senior officials.