Environment

Assam flood death toll reaches 79, nearly 27 lakh people affected

Representative Photo.

At least 2,678 villages are underwater

With three more lives lost, Assam’s death toll reached 79 this Saturday, Assam’s State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

In India’s north eastern state, nearly 27.64 lakh people in 26 of the 33 districts of the state have been affected. The flood has caused the destruction of houses, crops, roads and bridges at several places. The Disaster Management Authority data also reported a total of 26 landslides in its daily report on the flood situation.

The Dhubri and Goalpara happen to be worst hit regions with over 9 lakh people affected in the two districts.

Around 96 animals have died in the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district of Assam due to floods, the state government informed on Saturday.

At least 2,678 villages are underwater, the state authorities reported, adding that 1,16,404 hectares of crop areas have been damaged by the deluge across the state.

The ASDMA said that authorities have set up 649 relief camps and distribution centres across 21 districts, where 47,465 displaced people are taking shelter currently. The ASDMA bulletin reported a total of 59 of 223 camps at Kaziranga National Park have been affected by the deluge.

Heavy monsoons being a yearly occurence in Assam, resulted in heavy flooding and landslides forcing residents to flee their homes, often leaving behind the belongings. When a controversial citizenship act last year required residents to prove their Indian citizenship via documentation, many feared they wouldn’t be able to do so due to the rains either destroying documents or families being displaced, the BBC reported.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Neamatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur district, Goalpara and Dhubri districts, while its tributaries Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing in Sonitpur, Kopili at Dharamtul in Nagaon, Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta, besides Kushiyara at Karimganj town, a report by Zee News revealed.

 

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