Asom flood claims first victim, rains bring down mercury elsewere

New Delhi, June 3 (UNI) One person died in floods in Asom today as water inundated several villages in the state while pre-monsoon showers lowered the temperatures in various parts of the country, particularly the Northern region.

The Brahmaputra and its tributaries, including the Jia Bharali, the Kopili and the Puthimari, were still flowing above their respective danger levels for the fourth day today following heavy rains in their catchment areas and inundated several hundreds of villages in seven districts of Asom.

Flood claimed its first casualty in Tinsukia district even as the flood waters had devastated crop land and damaged road bridges, electrical poles and disrupted both roads and rail communications in several areas of the state.

The affected districts included Nowgong, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Hailakandi, Marigaon and Kamrup, official sources said.

Water Resource Department of the state government said the Brahmaputra was flowing above its danger mark by little less than a mt both at Dibrugarh and Neamatighat, while its tributaries Jia-Bharali was flowing above its danger mark at North Trunk road crossing, Kopili at Kampur, Puthimari at National High way crossing and Katakhal at Matizuri and Kushiyara at Karimgankj respectively.

Two road bridges had been washed away in Tangla-Mahaliyapar P W D Road, while several hundred acres of paddy fields had been submerged under Kamrup area of Nowgong district by the flood waters of the Kopili. Nowgong district, badly affected by the floods of the Kopili, bore the brunt of the first wave of floods.

Rail services in Rangiya-Rangapara section of the N F Railway continued to be suspended for the third day today as a portion of the tract had been washed away by the surging waters. Repair work was going on a warfooting and railway services were likely to resume in a day or two, railway sources said.

Several hundred people had been rendered homeless in Marigaon district and forced to take shelters in the embankments, official sources said.

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