Guwahati, July 07: The army was today asked to stand by in Assam as the flood situation turned grave with the mighty Brahmaputra inundating vast areas affecting more than two lakh people. "The army has been kept in readiness in several upper Assam districts including the worst-hit Dhemaji as the Brahmaputra maintained its rising trend all along its course", flood control minister Nurzamal Sarkar told a news agency here.
He said the army had been not yet deployed but was kept ready to be pressed into service depending on the situation.

The minister said the Brahmaputra was rising all along its course particularly in upper Assam and had inundated vast areas of human habitation and cropland. More than two lakh people continued to reel under the water as several villages, rail lines and national highways were submerged.
Rail communication between South Assam's Barak Valley and the rest of the country was disrupted last night following a massive landslide between Bandarkhal and Damchera due to heavy rains.
North east frontier railway sources said rail line was not likely to be restored in the next one month as it would take time to clear the debris. The situation continued to be grim in Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta, Dhubri and Goalpara districts.
Bureau Report