GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam further worsened on Tuesday with the population affected by the deluge rising to 32.94 lakh across 28 districts while nine more deaths were reported from five districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority informed.
Three deaths were reported from Dibrugarh district, two each from Barpeta and Tinsukia districts while one death each was reported from Biswanath and Golaghat districts. The overall death toll with the latest casualties has climbed to 59.
Barpeta continues to be the worst affected district in terms of people displaced, with close to 5, 50,000 people bearing the brunt of the flood fury followed by Dhubri and Morigaon districts with 4.10 lakh and 4.07 lakh people affected by the deluge.
Triggered by increased rainfall activity across the state, Brahmaputra river in five districts and several tributaries across the state continue to flow above danger level.
As many as 44, 108 people are currently taking shelter in 517 relief camps/centres across the state.
Meanwhile, floodwaters have submerged over 95 per cent area of the Kaziranga National Park with 173 of the 233 camps in the park affected while 14 camps had to be vacated.
“So far, 51 animals of the park have died in the flood while 102 animals have been rescued,” the divisional forest officer, Eastern Assam Wildlife division reported on Tuesday.
Likewise, large parts of the Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary lie submerged in floodwaters with 12 camps affected and 12 camps inundated while four camps had to be shifted. The situation is no better in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park with 20 of the 40 camps inundated.
Meanwhile, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday reviewed the flood situation in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Majuli apart from Jonai and took stock of the progress of various schemes implemented by water resources department.
Sonowal directed the department to expedite the embankment repair work to provide protection to people in those districts from floods. The department was directed to prevent floods caused by Subansiri and Dikrong rivers at Jamuguri, stop the damage caused at Kenmili embankment in Majuli and floods caused by Siang river at Jonai among others.
The chief minister also announced that the Poba Reserve Forest, the vital biodiversity hotspot in Dhemaji, would be upgraded to a wildlife sanctuary.
Sonowal also visited the outer Jonai and Bera Sapori areas and took stock of the devastation caused by flood while interacting with the inmates of a flood relief camp there.
He stressed the need to dredge the Brahmaputra as its water carrying capacity has reduced over the years due to loss of depth.
The chief minister also opined that strengthening of river management in neighbouring states would also help in preventing floods effectively in Assam.