Army on standby, red alert sounded for flood in state

Guwahati, June 19 (UNI) A red alert was sounded today by the Asom Government as the state geared to tackle the first wave of a major flood, which has so far displaced more than 12,000 people.

''The Army has been kept on standby as the situation is fast becoming a threat,'' said Asom Water Resource Minister Bharat Chandra Narah, adding the situation was worsening in Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh districts.

According to the Central Water Commission bulletin, the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger level in at least seven places in Asom.

It is flowing one and half meter above the danger level near Dibrugarh, while road communication between Barak and the Brahmaputra Valley remain snapped.

Dibrugarh town as well as Lakhimpur district's Matmora town were both under threat due to the incresing water level.

On both sides of the bank, the river has threatened embankments and heavy erosion was reported till this afternoon at Maijan of Dibrugarh and Matmora.

''Our officers are working round-the-clock and people are hopeful that we will be able to save the embankment,'' said Mr Narah.

The embankment near Maijan is crucial as its breach can wreck havoc to Dibrugarh township.

Using sand bags, efforts were on to save the embankments but with the rising water level, the situation is getting grim.

The lower ridge of Arunachal Pradesh have been receiving heavy rainfall since the past 48 hours and Passighat recorded 70 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, threatening further rise in the water level.

Similarly, the rising water have threatened to split the world's biggest river island, Majuli island, as small streams near Begnga Ati Xatra is getting dangerously closer to the Brahamputra.

As reported by the control room of the SDO office of Majuli, an embankment has so far been dividing the streams and the river.

''So far 125 villages have been affected with an estimated 149,856 people displaced in the first wave of floods to hit the state,'' said Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman.

Residents of flood-hit villages in the North Lakhmipur and Karimganj districts were forced out of their homes late on Monday and were now sheltered in makeshift tarpaulin tents and on other raised platforms and embankments.

Mr Barman said the flood situation was getting grim with reports of breaches in embankments pouring in from some places. ''We are providing relief resources like rice and other essential commodities, besides medicine and healthcare facilities.'' ''A total land area of about 4,285 hectares has already been submerged, including nearly 1,150 hectares of farmland,'' said a statement issued by the Asom government.

The situation was grim in the Barak valley, where Karimganj received the season's highest rainfall of 130.2 mm today, the CWC source informed.

The Barak river and its tributaries inundated new areas in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts. All the major rivers in the valley, including Barak, Kushiara, Katakhal and Longai, have been flowing well above the danger level since last night, and the rising trend is continuing, a CWC source informed at Siclahr.

A flood control dyke of the Barak river was breached at Roypur in Barkhala circle of Cachar district today, causing havoc in a vast area.

UNI