At least six more people died on Wednesday in the rain and floods in Assam, taking the overall toll to 33, The Indian Express reported. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said that over 14.95 lakh people were affected in 2,197 villages in 21 districts of the state.
The six deaths were recorded from Dhubri, Nagaon, Barpeta and Nalbari. Besides this, a 50-year-old from Cachar district died as a result of a landslide. The cause of death was “electrocution due to uprooted tree falling on power line as a result of landslide”, the State Disaster Management Authority said.
Over 4,200 people who were stranded due to floods were rescued by boats. Crops in over 87,000 hectares have been affected due to inundation, the Hindustan Times reported. The Brahmaputra River was flowing above danger level at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Goalpara and Dhubri.
Two schools were also submerged in Majuli Revenue Circle area of Jorhat, according to The Sentinel. Severe damage to infrastructure and roads was reported from several districts, while embankments were breached in Dibrugarh and Baska. In the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts’ Baksa area, severe gully erosion was reported in the Bunbari village.
In Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, a swamp deer and one wild boar drowned in the floodwaters. A total of 107 of the 223 camps used by forest personnel in the park area had recorded 49% inundation and six of them had to be vacated on Wednesday. As many as seven hog deer died after being hit by vehicles while trying to cross the national highway. Flooding was also reported at the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
Heavy rainfall and flooding have also affected the ongoing efforts to control the fire at Oil India Limited’s natural gas well at Baghjan in Tinsukia district. The company’s gas well caught fire on June 9. A major blowout had also happened at the site on May 27. Oil India had said that the fire could take weeks to extinguish. Two of the company’s firefighters had been found dead near the well.
The Oil India Limited in a statement said that because of the incessant rain, the removal of debris from near the well, which is an important part of the work to control the fire, was halted on June 27 and June 28. “Currently, there is only one road available [to the site], which was also kept closed for two days by the district authority due to floods,” the release added. “An alternate road is being repaired for entry into Baghjan and 90% of the repairing job has been completed.”
However, an unidentified official from ASDMA told The Indian Express that the overall situation in the state was improving and the water was receding because the rains have lessened. As per a release by the Central Water Commission on Wednesday, the reduction in rainfall has led to a decline in the level of most rivers. Some of them, however, continue to be in the “severe flood” state.
“River Brahmaputra has started falling in all the districts in Assam,” a release from the Central Water Commission stated. “Since rainfall is likely to continue with lesser intensity during the next four to five days, the ‘Above Normal’ to ‘Severe Flood’ situation is likely to continue with slow falling trend in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sub- Himalayan West Bengal during the next three to four days.”
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