Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam, which had shown signs of improvement last week, took a turn for the worse on Wednesday following heavy rainfall in some parts of the state in the past 48 hours.
Official sources said over 75 villages in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts have been inundated afresh due to flash floods since Tuesday. Over 70,000 people have been affected afresh by the rising water levels in the two districts, where dykes in Brahmaputra and Jiadhol rivers have broken down at some places.
The flood situation in parts of western Assam also continued to remain grave as rains in bordering Bhutan led to rise in river water levels in the state. Nearly 3,000 marooned people were rescued by various agencies in the district since Tuesday night, reports said.
Several rivers are showing a rising trend. Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Nematighat, Dibrugarh and Dhubri, while Jia Bharali is flowing above danger level at NT road crossing in Sonitpur.
Dhakuakhana area of Lakhimpur district is the worst hit, the sources said. A total 3.62 lakh people in 647 villages under 31 revenue circles across the state remain in the grip of the flood, which along with landslides has so far claimed 126 lives since it began in mid-June, the sources said.
While all 27 districts were affected during the initial phase of the flood, the worst in recent years, currently 13 districts including Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Baksa, Nalbari, Sonitpur, Goalpara, Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar are still in its grip. Over 56,000 people remain in 99 relief camps across eight districts, the sources added.
Meanwhile, the Assam Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution for declaring the perennial flood and erosion problem of the state as a national problem, the second such resolution by the Assembly in 10 years.
The resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamani Sen Deka, urged the Centre to also sanction a special financial package for the state.
Putting thrust on the damage and devastation caused by floods and erosion annually in the state, Mr Deka said the devastation to life and property has been a deterrent to growth and development in the state.
With the Centre failing to act on the demand, the state Assembly on Wednesday once again passed the resolution seeking national problem tag for the twin menace. It also sought a special financial package from the Centre for development in education, health, agriculture, employment generation, power and other sectors for accelerated development of the state. (Agencies)