Floods affect more than 6L, water level still rising

GUWAHATI: The floods in Assam claimed yet another life and have affected over 6 lakh people so far, showing no sign of relenting. A total of 1,206 villages in 14 districts have been affected by the deluge, with Goalpara and Tinsukia being the worst affected districts.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported the death of one person in Lakhimpur district's North Lakhimpur area on Sunday, where over 50,000 people in 130 villages have been affected.Seven people have died this month in the floods.
The situation has not changed in upper Assam's Jorhat district either, where over 1.1 lakh people in 182 villages have been affected. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal's constituency Majuli island alone has 136 hamlets under water.
Dhemaji is also facing a worsening situation with 1.05 lakh people affected.
Among the lower Assam districts, Barpeta is the worst hit with over 80,000 people stranded or displaced.
"Life in the numerous chars (sand islands on Brahmaputra) in Barpeta is miserable. Livestocks are dying and diseases may be triggered due to a prolonged stay in water. Humans are also being afflicted by fevers and other ailments due to floods. In almost all chars I visited, the waters are at a high knee level," social activist Abdul Kalam Azad said.
The rising Brahmputra has also inundated vast swathes of the Kaziranga National Park as well as the Dibru Saikhowa National Park, a habitat for wild buffaloes and elephants in upper Assam's Tinsukia district.
"About 60% of the 430-sq km area of Kaziranga is under water. There is a likelihood of more areas getting inundated as the water level is rising. However, as of now, there has been no large-scale migration of animals to higher grounds," Kaziranga divisional forest officer Suvasish Das said.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday reviewed the flood situation with water resources minister Keshab Mahanta, rural development minister Naba Kumar Doley and heads of different departments. Sonowal has given instructions for the rescue and relief operations in affected districts to be intensified.
"Sufficient quantities of relief materials, including food, baby food items and medicines, should be provided to the affected people. There should be no room for any shortcomings in doing so," Sonowal told the officials.
On Monday, the chief minister will have a video conference with the deputy commissioners of affected districts to take stock of the flood situation.