Assam grapples with third wave of floods this season

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the fresh wave of floods started last week and has affected 69,750 persons across 110 villages in five districts.

Incessant rain in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh over the past few days have resulted in the third wave of floods in Assam this season, state officials informed on Wednesday.

Apart from floods, erosion due to rise in water levels of rivers have also been reported from seven districts of Assam. (File photo. Representative image)

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the fresh wave of floods started last week and has affected 69,750 persons across 110 villages in five districts.

“In view of the flood situation in the state, ASDMA along with all the stakeholders have ramped up the response and recovery services to the severely affected districts,” the authority stated in a statement.

While there have been no reports of deaths due to the floods, the deluge has inundated 3,021 hectares of crop area in the districts of Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Lakhimpur and Nagaon, the ASDMA said.

Apart from floods, erosion due to rise in water levels of rivers have also been reported from seven districts of Assam.

According to Dibrugarh district officials, there has been constanst erosion on the banks of Brahmaputra at Philonuguri Grant area, close to Dibrugarh town, since October 8.

“Since erosion is taking place rapidly, the water resources department has built an embankment and shifted the existing dyke to prevent flood waters from breaching and reaching Dibrugarh town,” an official said.

Erosions along river banks have also been reported from Biswanath, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts, ASDMA stated, adding that the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat.