HT Bureau
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GUWAHATI, July 14: The flood situation in Assam took a turn for the worse on Friday, with more than 67,000 individuals affected across 17 districts of the state.
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The water levels of major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, have risen above the danger mark at several locations, according to an official bulletin from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Though no deaths were reported during the day, the toll from the current wave of floods remained at seven.
Compared to the previous day’s figure of 41,000, the number of affected people increased to 67,689. The number of districts impacted also rose from 10 to 17, including Baksa, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Tamulpur, and Tinsukia.
Several rivers, including the Brahmaputra at Dhubri and Tezpur, Beki, Buridihing, and the Sankosh at Golakganj, are flowing above the danger mark. In response, the districts in Western Assam, which share a border with Bhutan, have been placed on alert after excess water was released from the Kurichhu River dam in Bhutan during the early morning hours.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assured the public that water was being carefully redirected through the gates to control the flow. However, with improvements in the upstream conditions in Bhutan, the amount of water released may not be substantial. District authorities have set up 78 relief camps and distribution centers, accommodating 4,531 individuals seeking shelter.
The floods have caused damage to approximately 2,770 hectares of crop area, while 49,535 animals have also been affected. Majuli witnessed embankment damage, and 18 roads were destroyed in Barpeta, Chirang, Dhubri, Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sivasagar, and Sonitpur districts. Reports of significant erosion were also received from Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Sivasagar, and Tamulpur.
