Assam Floods: 12 More Deaths, 55 Lakh Affected As Brahmaputra, Barak Inundate New Areas

The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Wednesday as 12 more people were killed and 55 lakh people affected across 32 districts with the rising Brahmaputra and Barak rivers inundating new areas, officials said. Four people died in Hojai, three each were killed in Barpeta and Nalbari, and two people lost their lives in Kamrup, they said.

With these deaths, the toll in this year's flood and landslides rose to 101, they added. The flood situation in the three districts of Barak Valley -- Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi -- remained critical as the water levels of Barak and Kushiara rivers continued to rise, inundating vast tracts of land, officials said. As per a bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 54,57,601 people have been affected by the floods in 32 of the 36 districts in the state.

Among the worst-affected districts is Barpeta where 11,29,390 people are suffering, Kamrup where 7,89,496 people are affected, and Dhubri where 5,97,153 people are hit by the devastation. Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited a relief camp at Phulaguri Higher Secondary School in Kapili block in Nagaon district and interacted with the affected people. He said that a central team would visit the state soon, assess the damage, prepare a report and submit it to the government for support and assistance.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also traveled to Nagaon, by train, to review the situation. He toured the different flood-hit areas in a boat and interacted with the people who have taken shelter at the relief camps in Kamrup College and Raha Higher Secondary School. He also interacted with flood-affected people taking shelter at the Chaparmukh railway station. Sarma met the flood-affected families at makeshift relief camps along the national highway in Nellie in the Morigaon district and assured them of all possible help.

The chief minister is likely to visit Silchar in Cachar on Thursday to take stock of the situation. The devastating floods, caused by incessant rainfall, have affected 112 revenue circles and 4,941 villages, officials said. In all, 2,71,125 people have taken shelter in 845 relief camps in the state, they said. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Kopili river was flowing above the danger level at Kamrup in the Nagaon district, the Disang, and the Brahmaputra at Nimatighat, Tezpur, Goalpara, and Dhubri.

At least 26 of the total 233 camps have been inundated by the floodwater in Kaziranga National Park with 11 animals dying due to drowning.