| GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam has turned critical with four more deaths reported from three districts on Monday and over 13 lakh people affected across 25 districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority informed.
Two deaths were reported from Dibrugarh district while one each were reported from Goalpara and Barpeta district in the past 24 hours, taking the overall toll in the first wave of floods to 24. The affected districts include Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath Udalguri, Chirang, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon, Hojai, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and West Karbi Anglong. Over three lakh people have been hit by the rising floodwater in Barpeta district itself, followed by 1.95 lakh in South Salmara district and over a lakh people affected in Nalbari district. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are currently flowing above danger level. Altogether 146 camps of the 223 opened for sheltering animals at the Kaziranga National Park are currently affected by floods while three camps had to be vacated, the divisional forest officer, Eastern Assam wildlife division informed. On the other hand, 22 camps of the 40 camps set up at the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, have been affected by the deluge. A population of 27, 452 are currently sheltered in 273 relief camps/centres set up in 19 districts. Asked about the COVID-19 protocols in the flood relief camps, Cabinet minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, while addressing the media after the meeting of the Council of Ministers here on Monday evening, said that chief minister has directed the deputy commissioners of the affected districts to monitor the arrangements at the camps and ensure that the guidelines set by the health department are adhered to.
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