Assam flood situation grim, 59 lives lost, 33 lakh affected

At least nine more people were killed in five districts of flood-ravaged Assam on Tuesday, increasing the state's death toll due to the deluge to 59 even as 28 of its 33 districts waged a grim battle amid sufferings of around 33 lakh people, officials said.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that over the past four weeks, 59 deaths due to flood were reported from Biswanath, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, Kamrup, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Morigaon, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Nagaon, Nalbari, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Udalguri, Goalpara and Dibrugarh districts, while 26 others have been killed in separate landslides since May 22.

The officials said that two persons drowned on Monday in Dhubri and Morigaon districts but these deaths were not related to flood.

More than eight rivers, including the mighty Brahmaputra, are flowing above the danger mark in many places in 12 districts.

The ASDMA officials quoting reports from the districts that the floodwater has inundated 3,371 villages, affecting around 33 lakh people and 128,495 hectares of crop area in 28 districts.

The officials said that the district administrations have set up 517 relief camps and distribution centres in 24 districts, where over 44,000 people have taken shelter.

The worst-affected 23 districts of Assam are Dhemaji, Udalguri, Darrang, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Baksa, Lakhimpur, Chirang, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Majuli, Dibrugarh, West Karbi Anglong, Karbi Anglong and Tinsukia.

Besides erosion of river banks at a large number of places, roads, embankments, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure have been damaged at many locations in 28 districts, the ASDMA officials said, adding that several hundred houses were fully or partially damaged due to the flood.

At least 20.11 lakh domesticated animals and over 14 lakh poultry were affected due to floodwater.

The National Disaster Response Force, and State Disaster Response Force personnel, along with the local administration, are continuously working to rescue the affected people and render relief services, including distribution of necessary material to the marooned villagers.

Meanwhile, with a number of rivers in many northeastern states in spate due to continuous monsoon rain, many low-lying areas in other states in the region were inundated on Sunday, even as the India Meteorological Department forecast more rain in the next couple of days.