Assam flood situation worsens, affects lakhs

Guwahati, Sept 22: The

situation in

is grim. Almost all the districts of Upper Assam are reeling under flood waters, said official sources.

Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed in Upper Assam's Tinsukia and Dhemaji districts on Friday, Sept 21 to save thousands of people marooned by flood waters. The officials are terming the flood situation to be critical in the State following incessant rain for more than a week now.

Around five lakh people in 13 districts have been affected in the current and fourth wave of floods in the State, informed sources. The 13 districts affected by floods include Baksa, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, Udalguri and Sonitpur.

More than 817 villages have been affected by floods in 13 districts. Official sources say around 36 relief camps have been set up in various villages to provide relief and rescue measures to the flood victims. Around 40,611 inmates are said to have taken shelter in the relief camps.

The situation at Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, too, has turned grim, with animals fleeing to higher ground to escape the flood waters.

"Six columns of the Army have been deployed for rescuing marooned people at Sadiya in Tinsukia district and Jonai sub-division. Four NDRF teams have been deployed for rescue operations," said an official, engaged in rescue mission.

"Army and NDRF boats tried to negotiate the strong current of flood waters in Sadiya. As strong current prevented them from reaching out to the marooned people in Sadiya from Tinsukia side, the rescue teams approached the flood-hit areas from Arunachal Pradesh side and rescued some people," he added.

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