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Heavy rain pounds Assam, sends rivers in spate; road-railway transport hit, 8 killed
The Central Water Commission (CWC) informed the masses that 10 major rivers in Assam, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, were flowing above the danger level.
Heavy rain continued pounding Assam on Sunday, exacerbating an already delicate situation brought on by rain-induced floods. The rain, floods and landslides in the northeastern state have disrupted the road transport and train services and have killed at least eight people so far. Over 78000 people across 15 districts have been affected by the weather.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) informed the masses that 10 major rivers in Assam, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, were flowing above the danger level, triggering a flood-like situation in several districts.
The CWC bulletin said the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level in Dibrugarh and Nematighat (Jorhat). Other rivers that have breached the danger mark are: Dhaleswari at Gharmura (Hailakandi), Rukni at Dholai (Cachar), Katakhal at Matijuri (Hailakandi), Barak at Badarpur Ghat (Sribhumi), Buridehing at Margherita (Tinsukia), Kushiyara in Sribhumi, Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat) and Kopili at Kampur (Nagaon).
Train services hit
The bad weather has also affected the train services. A Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson said that in the wake of heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours and water flowing over the tracks on the Baraigram-Dullabcherra section, the Dullabcherra-Silchar passenger train has been cancelled for the day. The Dullabcherra-Guwahati Express will start from Baraigram instead of Dullabcherra, he added.
Road transport is also affected, with large portions of National Highway-17 having been submerged near Shingra Shalnibari in the Chaygaon area of the Kamrup district since Saturday.
Officials have blamed heavy rain and water flowing down from Meghalaya for the situation in the area, reported PTI.
Red, orange rain alerts in Assam
The Regional Meteorological Centre said three districts in Assam were on red alert on Saturday and eight on orange alert. It said rainwater from Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya – which are upstream of Assam – has exacerbated the flood situation.
The NDRF, SDRF, police, fire and emergency services personnel have been pressed into relief and rescue operations.
Also read: 26 killed, several feared dead as rain fury rages across states
Meanwhile, a total of 26 people died in the northeastern states of Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. The rain and related weather events have unleashed mayhem in several areas of these states, washing away roads, flattening homes and rendering many others homeless.
With inputs from PTI
