Guwahati: With Brahmaputra and its tributaries flowing above the danger level, the flood situation in Assam remained critical. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Sunday said that the death toll has mounted to 64. This is the second wave of floods affecting the state since June 10. Approximately 23.9 lakh people across 3,535 villages have been affected, with more than 50,000 seeking refuge in shelters statewide.
Informing that Dhubri is the worst-hit district, where over 7.95 lakh people are grappling with inundation, followed by Cachar and Darrang, each affecting over 1.50 lakh people the authorities said that major rivers such as the Brahmaputra and Barak are experiencing high water levels from Jorhat to Dhubri.
Meanwhile, the Barak River was flowing above the danger mark at AP Ghat, BP Ghat, and Kushiyara in Karimganj town. Additionally, rivers like Burhidehing, Dikhou, Disang, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, and Sankosh have breached critical levels at different places. The floods have also submerged approximately 68,768.5 hectares of crop area.
Floods which has hit the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), have led to the deaths of 114 wild animals, including 6 rhinos, marking one of the worst flood-related animal mortality in the past few years.
It is significant that plains of Assam have also been adversely affected in the past week due to the release of excess water from several dams like--- the Ranganadi and Subansiri Lower dams on the Assam-Arunachal border, the Doyang dam in Nagaland, and the Kurichu dam in neighbouring Bhutan.
The state authorities however claimed that the situation has begun to improve since July 2, with expectations that water levels will start receding in the coming days.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who himself visited several flood-hit areas of the state has directed his ministers to camp in flood-hit districts to supervise the relief measures of the government.
