The toll from floods in Assam rose to 102 on Sunday with the death of five more persons, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. As many as 26 more people have been killed in landslides, putting the overall toll at 128.
While two deaths each were reported from Barpeta and Kokrajhar districts, one person was killed in Morigaon district, the daily bulletin said.
As many as 24.7 lakh people remain affected in 2,265 villages and localities across 23 districts of the state. However, the number of affected persons has reduced since Friday, according to The Shillong Times.
Goalpara remains the worst-affected district. Over 4.7 lakh people in the district have been affected by the incessant rains and floods, followed by 3.95 lakh in Barpeta and 3.33 lakh in Morigaon. As many as 45,912 persons have been sheltered in 457 relief camps across the state.
The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark in Jorhat, Tezpur, Dhubri and Goalpara towns. Many of its tributaries are also flowing over the mark in several locations.
Roads, embankments and other infrastructure have been damaged in Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Morigaon districts. There was also land erosion in Bongaigaon, the state’s daily bulletin said.
The flood situation in the Kaziranga National Park remains grim with the toll of animals rising to 129. As many as 157 animals have been rescued so far, the report of the divisional forest officer, Eastern Assam Wildlife division, said on Saturday.
At Kaziranga, 88 out of the 223 camps have been submerged. At Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in Darrang and Sonitpur districts, 12 out of the 40 camps are under water.
The India Meteorological Department had predicted heavy rain over parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya over the next 24 hours ending on Sunday evening. However, according to the Central Water Commission, the water level in the Bramhaputra will recede by 24 cm by Monday afternoon.
Former Indian football player Baichung Bhutia urged the Centre to declare the Assam floods a national disaster, Republic World reported. “I think that it is one of the worst floods that has hit Assam over the years,” Bhutia said. “Over 96 people have already lost their lives and over 28 lakh people have been displaced. I would request each and every one of you to come forward and support Assam.”
On July 22, the central government declared that it will provide Rs 346 crore in the first phase under the Flood Management Program scheme to the state. The Centre also said it will discuss the recurrent flood problem with Bhutan.
On July 24, President Ram Nath Kovind took stock of the situation in Assam, speaking to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over a phone call, The Sentinel reported. Sonowal told Kovind that many areas including farm lands and houses have been severely affected by flood and erosion. He added that the government machinery has been put on high alert and district administrations have created the facilities necessary to shelter flood-affected people.
Kovind said that the country stands with the people of Assam, and hoped that the situation would soon improve.
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