52 breaches worsen flood situation in Assam

Just in: Assam floods kill 17 and leaves 1.5 million people displaced even as soldiers are engaged in a massive relief and rescue mission, officials said.

"A total of 19 of the state's 27 districts are hit by the floods displacing about 1.5 million people and killing 17 with the overall situation continuing to be critical," Assam Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman told the media. 2,500 villages were hit by the floods, affecting nearly 400,000 hectares, states a statement.

Guwahati, Sep 5: The flood situation in Assam worsened following heavy rainfall and fresh breaches in the past 24 hours sending rivers into spate once again. There were some improvements in upper Assam but very heavy rainfall in lower Assam complicated the picture in lower Assam. The situation in the river island Majuli has improved slightly but that in Lakhimpur worsened. The people of Bohori-Pazarbhanga area of Barpeta district were asked to remain alert. National Highway 31 is yet to be opened beyond Puthimari Natun Bazar as it is still under water.

Meanwhile, casualties from both Kaziranga and Pobitora wild life sanctuaries were reported.

The erosion by the Brahmaputra was posing a serious threat to Palasbari town. Water Resources Sources (WRD) here maintained that erosion by the Beki, Pahumara, Pagladiya, Nona rivers were continuing.

Central Water Commission(CWC) flood bulletin said here that the Brahmaputra was flowing more than a metre above the danger mark at Dibrugarh, Neamtighat, Tezpur, Guwahati and Dhubri at 6 am .

Its tributaries Subansiri, Pagladiya, Puthimari and Beki, along with the Kushiyura in the Barak Valley, were also flowing above the danger mark at that time at their respective gauge stations.

However, all these rivers were maintaining a falling trend, said the CWC.

In Majuli, the situation has improved slightly. However, the island is groping under darkness. Besides, its telephone network has been snapped, said SDO (Civil) of the island Prmod Chandra Deka.

The floodwaters of the Brahmaputra and the Subansiri have inundated 190 villages under all the 20 Gaon Panchayats of the island affecting a population of 1.7 lakh. All educational institutions were closed for the past several days.

The floodwaters had breached the already breached Pahumor-Garamur-Jengreai- Haladhibari (PGJH) PWD Road at two places yesterday and the day before yesterday between Garamur and Jengrai.

The SDO (Civil) office is functioning from the premises of the SDIPRO since day before yesterday and on the Garamur Circuit House campus the only building that is yet to be inundated is the recently built house on stilt, said the SDO.

Meanwhile, Personnel of National Disaster Response Force have arrived in the Bohori area of Barpeta district where a red alert was sounded by the district administration yesterday following the erosion in the retirement portion of the Baghmara-Bohori dyke. The Army and SSB personnel were also kept ready for meeting any eventuality.

Till now, about 1.30 lakh families had been badly affected during the current wave of floods in the district and standing crops in more than 50,000 hectares of land had been destroyed. The worst affected areas include Kalgasia, Sarbhog and Sarthebari circles.

Most of the roads of Sarukhetri constituency are either partially or fully damaged.

The overall flood situation in Nalbari district remained grim with the Pagladia flowing above the danger level. About 70,000 people had been affected as nearly 60 villages of five revenue circles of Borbhag, Barkshetri, Pashim Nalbari, Tihu and Banekuchi were submerged. Official sources said the current wave of floods inundated 2375 hectares of habitated area and 2600 hectares of crop area. The district administration had opened seven relief camps in Tihu areas.

UNI