Assam floods on receding trend

The flood waters were receding with improvement in the weather and fall in the river level in Assam where 18 lives were lost and over 31 lakh affected in 19 districts.

Though the Brahmaputra, Subansiri and Dhansiri along with their tributaries were flowing above the danger level across the state, they were on a receding trend with the flood waters ebbing from many of the affected 2594 villages and 2,26,902 hectare farmland, official sources said today.

The affected districts are Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup (Rural), Kamrup (Metro), Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivsagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Baksa and Udalguri.

Major portions of the world-famed rhino habitats Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, besides Dibru Saikhowa National Park were, however, still under water forcing the animals there to take shelter on the highlands constructed inside the Park or go across to the nearby hilly areas.

In KNP four rhinos, 14 Hog Deer, three wild boar and a sabar deer were killed by the floods, while in DSNP one wild piglet died and a wild elephant were stranded in the swamp, they said.

Nearly 16 lakh animals and poultry were hit by the third wave of deluge this month when 10729 big and small animals as well as poultry were washed away, the sources said. The National and State Disaster Response Forces and the army were pressed into service along with mechanised boats for rescuing the flood affected people.

The district administrations have set up relief camps and provided essential goods to the inmates there.

Meanwhile, a high level flood assessment team of the state government headed by Disaster Management Minister Prithbi Manjhi today visited the Lower Assam districts of Kamrup (Rural), Nalbari, Barpeta and Dhubri to take stock of the flood situation.

The assessment team also held a meeting with the district administration officials at Barksetri in Nalbari district on the flood damages in the district.