Nearly three lakh affected by Assam flood

Guwahati: Nearly three lakh people have been affected by floods in Assam which has claimed seven lives and has hit 15 districts of the state.

According to a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Sunday, 2.87 lakh people have been affected across 1,066 villages in 15 districts in the state and 90,867 hectares of cropland have been affected.

"Seven persons have died in the current wave of flood, one each in Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Nalbari, Golaghat and Barpeta and two in Morigaon," the release said.

The authorities have evacuated altogether 2,424 marooned people to safer places and 118 relief camps have been opened, providing shelter to 95,922 inmates, the release said.

Already, embankments across the state have suffered 15 breaches. These have occurred on Ranganadi river in Lakhimpur, Solengi, Brahmajan and Sessa in Sonitpur, Mora Pagladiya in Nalbari and Pahumara in Barpeta; besides those in Dhemaji district.

The 15 flood-affected districts are Dhemaji, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Karbi Anglong.

The Brahmaputra and tributaries are flowing above the danger level at Nematighat in Jorhat, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, the statement said.

Jia Bharali river in Sonitpur, Kopili at Kampur and Beki in Barpeta are also flowing above the danger mark, it added. The flood situation has slightly improved in Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Karbi Anglong districts, the release said.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi directed the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to rescue the marooned people and to gear up relief and rehabilitation of the affected people on a war-footing.