Floods in Assam turn critical

The flood situation in Assam today turned serious as 50% of the population of Dhemaji district was reeling under the impact of the deluge while many villages in Tinsukia, Kamrup, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur district flooded even as two students drowned in Doomdooma.

Raj Kishore Choudhury and Dilip Mala of Doomdooma College drowned in Tinsukia district of upper Assam when their country boat capsized as they tried to cross a local river in spate at Doomdooma, official sources said.

In the flash floods in neighbouring Dhemaji district, due to rains in the catchment areas of Arunachal Pradesh, four lakh of the eight lakh people have been affected by the floods inundating 400 villages due to breach of embankments on the Brahmaputra, the sources said.

Ten houses and a lower primary school have been washed away by the deluge, which has marooned 25,000 people at Jurkota and Sisir area.

Sadiya sub-division has been cut off from the rest of the country as its only connection of ferry service has been suspended due to the swelling Brahmaputra.

In Sadiya sub-division, 80 villages, 15 in Goriatim and eight in Dolai were inundated, they said, adding, NH-52 was inundated snapping traffic movement to Arunachal Pradesh.

The Dibru Saikhowa National Park was badly affected by the floods even though there was no loss of animal life so far.

Eight relief camps have been set up so far with an estimated 10,000 people taking shelter there.

Troops from 12 Bihar Regiment had been deployed for rescue operations, the sources said.

In Nalbari district along the Indo-Bhutan border, eight villages were affected by the Mora Pagladia and Tihu rivers due to rains in the Bhutan foot-hills, they said.

In Kamrup, seven villages and two each in Sonitpur and Lakhimpur were also affected by the floods.

The Jorhat district administration has clamped 144 Crpc to prevent ferries from plying on the river Brahmaputra heading towards the Asia's largest river island Majuli.

"The water level is dangerously rising and above the danger level and so the administration had to prevent ferrying of boats to the river island", Jorhat district administration sources said.

More than 60 ferries ply from Naematighat to the river island daily and those have stopped following rise in the water level of the river.

120 families have been affected in this wave of flood in the river island which is being threatened by the mighty Brahmpaputra for long.

"This is a precautionary step to prevent any major disaster", sources said.