Assam floods displace 5.35 lakh; 15 rivers in spate, death toll hits 11

Assam's flood situation has displaced over 5.35 lakh people across 22 districts, while the death toll has risen by one to reach 11. Meanwhile, 15 rivers are in spate.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Lakhimpur district, among the worst-hit areas, and assured the affected people of all possible assistance.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati has said that moderate rainfall is very likely to occur at most places of Assam, while heavy to very heavy rainfall has been predicted at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places.

Road, rail and ferry services remained affected in the state due to heavy rain in several areas.

An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin said 5,15,039 people in 65 revenue circles and 1,254 villages of 22 districts have been affected by floods.

The worst-hit district is Sribhumi where 1,94,172 people are reeling under the deluge, followed by Cachar district with 77,961 affected people and Nagaon with 67,880 flood-hit people.

One death was reported in the last 24 hours from Doboka revenue circle of Hojai district, taking the toll in floods and landslides to 11.

Two other persons, one each from Hailakandi and Dibrugarh, have been reported missing.

The number of affected people was more than four lakh in over 15 districts on Sunday.

A total of 165 relief camps are sheltering 31,212 displaced people, while another 157 relief distribution centres are also functional.

A crop area of 12,610 hectares has been inundated, while 94 animals have been washed away in the last 24 hours.

The Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level in Neamatighat and Tezpur, and Barak in Chota Bekra, Fulertal, AP Ghat and BP Ghat.

Other rivers in spate are Subansiri (Badatighat), Burhidihing (Khowang), Dhansiri (Numaligarh), Kopili (Kampur and Dharamtul), Rukni (Dholai), Dhaleswari (Gharmura), Katakhal (Matizuri) and Kushiyara (Sribhumi).

Three embankments have been breached and two others damaged or affected, besides damage to other infrastructure like roads, bridges, houses, electricity poles, etc., the ASDMA bulletin said.

It added that 21,037 people in two districts remained affected by 'urban floods', with 464 displaced people taking shelter in two relief camps.

A Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson said due to waterlogging at washing pit number 1 and 2 of Silchar, two trains were cancelled for the day, while another was rescheduled.

Ferry services between Majuli and Jorhat remained suspended for the second day.

Meanwhile, Sarma visited flood-hit parts of Lakhimpur district, especially areas that have been inundated mostly by water released from NEEPCO's Ranganadi Dam in upstream Arunachal Pradesh.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the local people, Sarma said an embankment of Pachnoi river in Amtola area has been breached, causing severe damage to several villages.

"We have analysed the situation and have been told that if water can be diverted through a nearby stream, some instant relief can be given to the people. We will work on it and also work on plugging the breached embankment for the time being will commence," he said.

He added that permanent repair work of the embankment will be undertaken post-monsoon from September.

Sarma assured the affected people of all assistance and directed the district officials to oversee it.

On his meeting with NEEPCO officials earlier in the day, the chief minister said, "We will conduct an inquiry and if we find that anyone was at fault, they will be made answerable."

"If NEEPCO's dam was not there, the water would have flown down directly. They reserve the water up to a fixed level in the dam, and then release it. I told them if you reserve a huge quantity of water and let it out together, it becomes a type of 'water bomb'," he said.

"We will discuss it more seriously with them and try to find a solution," Sarma said, referring to repeated instances of floods in the downstream areas of the NEEPCO dam in northern parts of the state over the years.

The chief minister later told reporters at Guwahati that he will be visiting Cachar on Tuesday and Dima Hasao the next day to review the situation.

Newly appointed Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi called on families of deceased victims of landslides.