Assam flood: Guwahati risks getting submerged as Brahmaputra flows above danger mark

As the river Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level, Guwahati in Assam is facing the threat of getting submerged.

Guwahati, July 6: The hub of northeast India--Guwahati--the capital city of Assam, is facing the risk of getting inundated as rains continue to play havoc across the state.

Officials say if rain does not stop anytime soon, Guwahati will be submerged as the river Brahmaputra is currently flowing above the danger mark. Currently, the Brahmaputra is flowing at 49.75m, above its danger level of 49.68m.

The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority has been forced to shut the sluice gates at Bharalumukh to prevent the rising waters of the Brahmaputra from inundating the entire city, reports The Telegraph.

Officials did not rule out the possibility of flash floods if the city receives heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, floods claimed another life in Assam, where the situation worsened on Wednesday with over four lakh people being affected across 15 districts. With this, the total number of deaths in this year's flood-related incidents has climbed to 20, including seven in Guwahati.

According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person identified as Suraj Chetri (22) drowned in the flood waters at Khumtai in Golaghat district.

Inland Water Transport director Bharat Bhushan Choudhury said ferry services on Brahmaputra in Guwahati have been suspended until further orders due to the rising water level and heavy current, as well as submerged logs and other materials in the river.

River Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati in Kamrup Metro district, at Nimatighat in Jorhat district, at Dhubri town in Dhubri district and Tezpur in Sonitpur district, the ASDMA said.

The deluge-hit districts are Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Hojai, Majuli, Barpeta, Chirang, Nagaon and Nalbari.

The worst-hit district is Karimganj where over two lakh people have been affected by the swirling waters followed by Lakhimpur with 80,000 sufferers, the report said.

Other rivers in spate and flowing above danger mark are Dikhow at Sivasagar town in Sivasagar district, Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing in Sonitpur district, Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta district and Kushiyara at Karimganj town in Karimganj district, it said.

The report said over 20,000 hectares of crop land has been damaged and nearly 900 villages are under flood waters.

Authorities have set up 160 relief camps and distribution centres in eight districts, where 42,000 people are currently taking shelter.

The flood waters have also damaged infrastructures such as roads, embankments and bridges in Barpeta, Biswanath, Golaghat, Cachar, Karimganj, Morigaon, Baksa and Nalbari districts, the ASDMA report said.

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