Floods continued to wreak havoc in much of Assam and in parts of Arunachal Pradesh,with incessant rain preventing aerial rescue operations for the fifth day Saturday. Some five lakh people have been affected in the fourth round of floods in Assam this year. Two national parks,Kaziranga and Dibru-Saikhowa,have also been inundated by the rising Brahmaputra. In Majuli island in Jorhat,several villages were submerged after at least two embankments were washed away. A red alert was sounded in Kaziranga after animals fled across National Highway 37 to take shelter in the highlands. Authorities have promulgated Section 144 of the CrPC to limit speed of vehicles on the highway to prevent any harm to the animals. The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level in Dibrugarh,Nimatighat,Dhemaji,Tezpur and at Dhansirimukh in Kaziranga. At least 15 anti-poaching camps have been submerged,forcing the protection staff to shift to boats in order to keep vigil against poachers. Ferry services on the Brahmaputra have been suspended in some districts in view of the rising water level. In Arunachal,floods and landslides have closed roads in Lohit,Changlang,East Siang and Dibang Valley.
