Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam
worsened on Thursday with three more districts affected by the
swollen waters of Brahmaputra and its tributaries, hitting
nearly four lakh people.
Dhemaji, Jorhat and Sibsagar districts came under the
grip of floods which have already hit Barpeta, Sonitpur,
Morigaon and Lakhimpur.
Officials said nearly four lakh people from about 520
villages were now hit by the first wave of floods. Earlier,
the number of affected people was 2.5 lakh and nearly 50,000
people have been sheltered in relief camps following the
floods as the Brahmaputra and its principal tributary
Subansiri rose above the danger level, fed with rain waters
from the Himalayan foothills in Arunachal Pradesh.
Brahmaputra`s other tributaries Dhansiri, Jia Bharali
and Beki rivers were also contributing to the sufferings of
the people.
The flood also affected a crop area of 9,485 hectares.
In worst-affected Lakhimpur, where both Brahmaputra
and Subansiri were in spate, the situation in its areas like
Luit-Khabalu and Ranganadi was critical.
The swollen Drupromg river washed away the
Rangiya-Jonai-Mukongchelek metre gauge rail tracks affecting
movement of trains to neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
Flood waters have also entered the Kaziranga National
Park in Jorhat district and the Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary in
Morigaon district, homes to the endangered one-horned rhinos.
PTI
