Assam flood situation alarming, toll reaches 31

Assam's flood situation continued to be alarming on Thursday, even as the deluge claimed two more lives, taking the death toll to 31.

Around 14 lakh people in 19 districts of the state are being affected by the floods.

An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) release today said one person died in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district each taking the toll in current phase of floods to 31.

Meanwhile, the swirling flood waters of Brahmaputra and its tributaries entered 2,200 villages and submerged 1.8 lakh crop lands, the release said.

The affected districts are Dhemaji, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Goalpara, Morigaon, Cachar, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Tinsukia, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Kamrup, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Golaghat and Nagaon.

Army has been called by Dibrugarh administration for rescuing the marooned people and for relief operations.

The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district, home to the one horned rhinos in the world, has been completely inundated by the deluge forcing wild animals to move to safer high grounds, forest officials said.

The district administration said the link roads to Pobitora Sanctuary were breached at several places.

The Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger mark at Dibrugarh town, Nematighat in Jorhat district, Tezpur in Sonitpur, Guwahati, Goalpara town and Dhubri town, ASDMA said.

River Burhidehing was running above the danger level at Khowang in Dibrugarh, Desang at Nanglamuraghat in Sivasagar, Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur, Puthimari at NH Road crossing in Kamrup, Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta and Kushiyara at Karimganj town.

In view of the Brahmaputra flowing above the red mark in Guwahati, the Kamrup Metropolitan district authority has indefinitely suspended all types of ferry and boat services on the river.

Roads and bridges were reported to be damaged by the flood waters in Morigaon, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Goalpara, Cachar, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Darrang districts, while embankments breached in Barpeta, Dibrugarh, Nalbari and Nagaon districts.

Meanwhile, Assam government has reacted to Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal's recent statement that the Centre had released Rs 207 crore for flood relief to the state this year.

The state government clarified that the Central funds of Rs 207 crore released to the state government by the Centre was only the first instalment of the current year's central allocation of Rs 414 crore available under the State Disaster Response Funds.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi accused the Union minister, a native of Assam, of not pressurising the Centre to release the due fund to the state to meet the emergent situation and also for continuation of Special Category Status to the NE states, the release added.