1 dead in Assam floods even as water recedes
Guwahati: Two fatalities were recorded in Kamrup (Metro) district during the past 24 hours — one due to flooding and another from a landslide. However, the overall flood situation in Assam showed considerable improvement.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported that the count of flood-affected residents decreased to 3.37 lakh by Saturday evening, down from 4.43 lakh on Friday evening. The number of flood-affected districts has also come down from 18 to 12 in the same period.The two deaths bring the total number of casualties in floods and landslides in the northeast to 50 since the monsoon mayhem began on May 30 in the region.
As per ASDMA, the flood death count in Assam this year has reached 17, and the total deaths in landslides so far this year stand at six.Presently, Kamrup and Darrang are the two urban flood-affected districts, with around 650 people affected. A total of 999 villages in 41 revenue circles are affected by the flood.As detailed in the ASDMA bulletin, five animals have died and 29 wild animals have been rescued at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
The Brahmaputra continued to flow above danger level in lower Assam's Dhubri district, while its tributary Kopili in central Assam was also above the danger mark on Saturday morning, according to the Central Water Commission report. In Barak Valley, the rivers Barak and Kushiyara were both flowing above the danger mark on Saturday morning.Among the districts, more than half of the state's flood-affected population is currently in Barak Valley's Sribhumi district, where over 1.93 lakh people remain affected.
About 74,000 people are affected in Hailakandi district, and approximately 56,000 people in Cachar district, both within the Barak Valley region of south Assam.More than 12,000 hectares of crop area in the state remain affected, even as the winter paddy sowing season approaches. Over 36,000 people are currently in relief camps across various districts.Rainfall has decreased considerably, and in the last 24 hours, Assam experienced a large deficiency in rainfall.
