The flood situation in Assam has worsened with the total number of deaths in this year’s flood-related incidents climbing to 18. Over 4 lakh people across over 800 villages in 15 districts have been affected.
According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person identified as Suraj Chetri (22) drowned in the flood waters at Khumtai in Golaghat district on Wednesday.
Authorities have set up 160 relief camps and distribution centres in eight districts, where 42,000 people are currently taking shelter. Many roads, embankments and bridges have been damaged by flood waters in Lakhimpur, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Majuli and Karimganj districts, ASDMA said.
In the wake of the floods, several people took to Twitter to criticise the media for not covering it enough. Some others demanded that relief efforts be stepped up.
There were others who brought to notice the fact that media organisations had in fact covered the floods.
The Scale of Wreckage
Inland Water Transport Director Bharat Bhushan Choudhury said ferry services on Brahmaputra in Guwahati have been suspended until further orders due to the rising water level and heavy current, as well as submerged logs and other materials in the river.
River Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati in Kamrup Metro district, at Nimatighat in Jorhat district, at Dhubri town in Dhubri district and Tezpur in Sonitpur district, the ASDMA said.
The deluge-hit districts are Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Hojai, Majuli, Barpeta, Chirang, Nagaon and Nalbari.
The worst-hit district is Karimganj, where over two lakh people have been affected by the swirling waters followed by Lakhimpur with 80,000 sufferers.
Other rivers in spate and flowing above danger mark are Dikhow at Sivasagar town in Sivasagar district, Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing in Sonitpur district, Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta district and Kushiyara at Karimganj town in Karimganj district, it said.
The report said over 20,000 hectares of crop land has been damaged and nearly 900 villages are under flood waters.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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