HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 26: The flood situation in Assam has taken a turn for the worse as relentless rainfall continues to pound the state, according to a bulletin released by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday.
The number of individuals affected by the flooding has surged from nearly 36,000 on Friday to an alarming count of over 53,340 on Saturday, as reported in the bulletin.
Dhemaji bears the brunt of this catastrophe with over 23,940 people grappling with the flood’s aftermath. Sonitpur and Lakhimpur are not far behind, with 11,631 and 8,527 affected individuals respectively, according to the ASDMA bulletin.
Over the past 24 hours, moderate to heavy rainfall has drenched most parts of the state. Unfortunately, these weather conditions are predicted to persist for the next 48 hours.
The flood’s impact has spread across six districts, with Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Udalguri, and Sonitpur being the hardest hit.
In terms of destruction, the deluge has affected a total of 120 villages and caused significant damage to over 2,933.25 hectares of agricultural land, as outlined in the bulletin.
Chirang and Sonitpur’s district administrations have taken the initiative to set up 11 relief camps and 10 relief distribution centers. Presently, Sonitpur shelters 182 inmates in its relief camps.
As the evening approached on Saturday, water bodies such as the Beki at Road Bridge, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Brahmaputra at Dhubri and Nimatighat, and Sankosh at Golokganj had all crossed the danger level mark.
Tragically, five houses were reported to be damaged in Chirang due to the flooding.
Throughout the day, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were actively engaged in rescue operations. Notably, they successfully evacuated 46 individuals in Sonitpur using boats.
The ravaging floods have not spared critical infrastructure either, causing damage to embankments, roads, and other essential facilities in Sivasagar, Karimganj, Dibrugarh, and Udalguri.
Urban areas have also been severely impacted, with reports of flooding surfacing from Udalguri, as stated in the ASDMA bulletin.
In light of increased rainfall in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Chirang, and Baksa districts, authorities anticipate a rise in water levels in the northern tributaries of the Brahmaputra. This alarming situation extends to the main Brahmaputra river in the middle and lower regions. The Central Water Commission (CWC) advisory has indicated a rising trend in water levels in Dhubri and Goalpara districts along the main Brahmaputra stem.
