Assam floods kill 19, breach in Brahmaputra

Guwahati, Sep 10: An embankment of the Brahmaputra river has breached at Lakhimpur district of Assam even as the death toll in the third wave of floods had gone up to 19.

At least two persons died at Kampur district, three went missing in Dhakukhana while one died each at Alamganj and Panchmile, bringing the total number of casualties to 19.

The traffic came to a grinding halt since last afternoon as almost all the National Highways were flooded and hundreds of trucks stranded.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today called for an emergency monitoring meeting while cancelling a crucial investment-seeking meeting organised in Bangalore.

According to a report from the state revenue department, 21 districts had been affected and more than six million people were rendered homeless while close to 600 relief camps had been opened in the state with the flood water showing no signs of receding.

Although, the weather was sunny today after five days of uninterrupted rain, the Central Water Commission report suggests that the water in many of the major rivers had not receded as the downpour continued in the lower ridges of the Himalaya which fed the rivers.

About 500 metres of the Matmara embankment was swept away by the Brahmaputra, endangering the whole of Lakhimpur. Altogether, 400 villages had been inundated by the river as the water entered almost half of the districts.

The breach occurred at Sisi-Tekeliphuta barely a couple of hours after state Flood Control Minister Bharat Chandra Narah inspected the site.

At Kaziranga, three deer were killed in a road accident when they tried to cross the National Highway and were crushed by the speeding vehicles.

Meanwhile, the traffic movement was restricted and patrolling was being carried out on the National Highway.

Altogether, 25 forest camps had been closed down and shifted to the higher ridges as the river Dhansiri was flowing almost 1.88 metres above the danger level.

The Bogibeel ring embankment was breached and 100 meters had been swept away at Dibrugarh near the Bogibeel bridge site.

Besides, the National Highways near Naoboicha, Numaligarh, Lankha and Palahgui beside the Bhabani-Nalbari stretch had also been flooded.

The state PWD department stated that approximately Rs 130 crore would be needed to repair the damages while for the primary repair work, Rs 44 crore would be needed. However, the true extent of the damage could be estimated only after the receding of water levels.

UNI