Continuous rainfall for almost a week has triggered floods in Assam’s 19 of 31 districts and affected over 34000 people, officials said and added Lakhimpur district is the worst hit in the first wave of floods in the state this year followed by Dibrugarh. No death has been reported so far but the floods have led to erosion and damage to infrastructure.
Assam is flood-prone and faces flooding annually. Floods and landslides displaced tens of thousands of people last year following heavy rainfall.
In a report issued on Tuesday, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that 523 villages are facing floods so far this year, and that 5842.78 hectares of cropland have been submerged. Guwahati and Silchar are among the cities facing floods
Ferry services in parts of the Brahmaputra, one of the world’s largest rivers, were suspended after India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert for heavy rainfall until Thursday.
ASDMA on Tuesday denied reports that the flood situation in western Assam was solely due to water release from a dam in Bhutan’s Kurichhu. It added incessant rainfall in both the upper catchment areas of Bhutan and Assam was causing the floods.
ASDMA advised residents living in Assam’s riverine areas to be prepared with emergency kits and avoid venturing into rising waters. “People are urged to refrain from activities such as fishing, collecting firewood, swimming, or crossing rivers unnecessarily during these days.”
{{/usCountry}}ASDMA advised residents living in Assam’s riverine areas to be prepared with emergency kits and avoid venturing into rising waters. “People are urged to refrain from activities such as fishing, collecting firewood, swimming, or crossing rivers unnecessarily during these days.”
{{/usCountry}}IMD on Tuesday said moisture incursion was likely to continue due to strong low-level southerly/southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal to northeast India over the next two days and lead to widespread rainfall. Heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with lightning was very likely to continue in Assam and decrease gradually thereafter.
Assam minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Tuesday said that connectivity between Assam’s Barak Valley, Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur and the rest of the country was restored after landslides in Meghalaya’s Sonapur partially disconnected it.