From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam remains grim with over 800,000 people being affected in least 15 of the 27 districts in the state.
According to official sources, seven people have died in floods in various places during the past one week that winessed submergence of over 800 villages.
The fourth wave of flood has also devastated wildlife protection areas in the State where death of three elephants – two in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and one in Kaziranga National Park, were reported.
Parts of the Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park have been submerged.
The government has sounded an alert, as water level in most of the rivers in the state continue to rise owing to incessant rains in some upper Assam districts as well as in Arunachal Pradesh.
The main channel Brahmaputra River is stated to be flowing above the red mark at Dibrugarh, Nimatighat (Jorhat) , Dhemaji, Tezpur and at Dhansirimukh in Kaziranga.
The flood situation is very serious in Kamrup, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts.
A total of 16 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 60 Army teams and 18 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have stepped up their relief and rescue efforts in some of the worst affected districts, the official said.
Four helicopters of the Indian Air Force and army have been pressed into service in the Sadiya subdivision in Tinsukia district to air drop necessary food items and rescue marooned people.
Ferry services have also been stopped at Sadiya and Assam’s largest river island Majuli in Jorhat district as the Brahmaputra River is flowing above the danger level in many areas.
In lower Assam areas, flood waters have breached the Rangia-Goreshwar PWD road at Rangiya in Kamrup district on Sunday morning, an official said.
Alert has been sounded in the Kaziranga National Park. At least 15 anti-poaching camps of Kaziranga have been submerged, forcing the wildlife protection squads to press boats in order to keep an eye on poachers.
All educational institutions in the Majuli island of upper Assam have been closed indefinitely from today in view of rising flood waters which have submerged over 70 per cent landmass of the island.
The Jorhat district administration ordered the closure this afternoon, senior officials said. (with inputs from PTI)