Two dead in Assam floods, 3 lakh people affected in nine districts

Despite relief from incessant rain in most parts of the state on Thursday, the flood situation in Assam continued to remain grim with one more death due to drowning and total number of affected people increasing to 3 lakh in 9 districts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person died at Lakhipur in Goalpara district on Thursday taking the total number of deaths in the first floods of the year to two.

With around 2 lakh affected people Goalpara is the worst-hit district. Other flood affected districts are Dhemaji, Nagaon, Hojai, Darrang, Nalbari, West Karbi Anglong, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.

The total number of affected people on Thursday was 2,94,710 in 300 villages of 15 revenue circles. Flood waters have also affected crops in 21,572 hectares, the ASDMA report said.

Nearly 16,000 people displaced by flood waters are taking shelter at 90 relief camps in four of the nine affected districts. Nearly 500 people were evacuated by boats and taken to safe places.

The Brahmaputra flowed above the danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat district while the Kopili crossed the red mark at Kampur in Nagaon district.

Rainfall and flood waters have damaged many embankments, roads, and bridges and also led to erosion at several places in the affected districts.