500 more Assam villages inundated

Incessant rains in the past week or more in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Upper Assam have further aggravated the over-all floo...

Incessant rains in the past week or more in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Upper Assam have further aggravated the over-all flood situation in Assam, with the Brahmaputra crossing the danger mark in Guwahati last night.

Central Water Commission (CWC) sources here said the Brahmaputra was flowing at 50.75 metres, which is more than one metre above the danger level. The all-time high flow of the river in Guwahati was last recorded in July 1998, when the river flowed at 51.37 metres, inundating large portions of the Assam capital including Fancy Bazar, the region’s main business hub located on the riverfront here.

Elsewhere in the state, the situation has worsened in the districts of Dhemaji, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Morigaon, Lakhimpur and Darrang, with fresh areas getting inundated last night as the water level of the Brahmaputra and most of its tributaries registered a rising trend.

Story continues below this ad

In Dhemaji, the eastern-most district whose national highway and railway link have remained submerged for more than ten days, 500 more villages were inundated between last night and this afternoon following a major breach caused by the Brahmaputra at Kareng-Chapori.

Government sources here said more than 16 lakh people in 20 districts have been affected. Relief operations have been also affected due to flood waters flooding roads in different districts. The situation in the world-famous Kaziranga National Park too has been described as critical with the erosion of a stretch of 1.5 km length and about 80 metre width on the northern side on Tuesday, forcing the park authorities to shift at least one anti-poaching watch-point.

State Forest Minister Pradyut Bordoloi, who reviewed the Kaziranga flood protection measures yesterday, has directed 40 extra forest guards from Golaghat and Nagaon districts to beef up safety measures for wild animals on National Highway 37 that passes through the national park.

Vehicular traffic has been regulated along the highway as large number of animals from the low-lying areas of the park cross the road to take shelter in the highlands south of the highway during the flood season. Park officials from Kaziranga said speeding vehicles have killed two hog deer and a python during the past week on the National Highway.