Assam flood scene remains grim
Guwahati: Assam’s flood scene remains grim though some of the river in spate in eastern Assam have shown receding trend during the last 12 hours.
Fourteen districts of the state have been affected by the current wave of flood that has claimed five lives so far besides inundating vast tracts of cropland and hundreds of villages in the state.
Situation in Morgaon district in Central Assam is grim with flood waters of Brahmaputra River threatening to breach the embankment at Bhuragaon area.
Many villages in the district have been inundated forcing the people to take shelter on state highways.
Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal, an MP from Assam, on Tuesday took stock of the flood situation in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts.
According to official sources, about four lakh people have been affected by the flood in 14 of the districs of the state.
Lakhimpur and Dhemaji in eastern Assam on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River are the worst affected districts where the water level of Brahmaputra and its tributaries is flowing over the red mark.
Over 1.80 lakh people in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts have been affected by the flood while over 15000 hectares of croplands have been deluged in 400 villages under 10 revenue circles in the districts.
In Dhemaji where the situation has slightly improved during the last 24 hours, over 76,000 people from 222 villages have been affected by the flood that also has submerged about 9000 hectares of cropland damaging paddy cultivation.
The flood waters of Brahmaputra River have submerged about 70 per cent of the core area of Kaziranga National Park forcing the animals to cross the National Highway 37 (New 715) located on south of the park to highlands.
A park official said that vigil had been geared up in the park which is known as the abode of one-horned rhinoceros, to protect the flood-hit animals.
The official, however, pointed out that annual flood was also required for rejuvenation of the Park’s vast spread of grassland which is the habitat of rhinos, and wetlands in the park. Flood waters have inundated Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary near Guwahati.
The wildlife habitat is known for the highest concentration of one-horned rhinoceros on the globe.