The flood situation in Assam turned critical on Wednesday affecting nearly two lakh people, while the Brahmaputra and several of its tributaries flowing above the red mark and overtopping embankments, breaching them at several places. While incessant rains in catchment areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan have sent many rivers overflowing, the Met office has forecast more rains in the next two days. The Brahmaputra was flowing above the red mark in Dibrugarh and Nimatighat (Jorhat) in upper Assam, while about two lakh people have been affected in seven districts – Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, Chirang and Kokrajhar – the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in its flood bulletin update said. [related-post] The authorities have shifted about 17,000 people to 45 relief camps set up in Bongaigaon, Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, where several rivers coming down from Bhutan continued to overflow and inundate villages and submerge standing crops. The highest number of people affected has been reported from Bongaigaon district with the ASDMA bulletin putting it at 1.35 lakh belonging to 76 villages. Floods have also caused major breaches to several roads in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. Over 12,000 hectares of standing crops has been also submerged in these districts.
