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Nine lakh displaced in Assam flood havoc

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Assam, with an estimated 900,000 people displaced and nine dead so far, officials said on Wednesday.

Updated on: Aug 25, 2011 01:08 PM IST
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Flash floods triggered by heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Assam, with an estimated 900,000 people displaced and nine dead so far, officials said on Wednesday.

HT Image
HT Image

A government bulletin said 12 of the 27 districts of Assam have been affected by floods, the eastern districts of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur being the worst affected.

"So far, 9,11,080 people have been affected by the floods in 12 districts and 43 embankments breached," the government statement said.

At least nine people have been swept away by the floods in the past one week, seven of them in Dhemaji district.

A Central Water Commission bulletin said the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were flowing above the danger mark in at least eight places.

An estimated 250,000 people are now displaced in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, about 400 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

"Most of the flood-hit people are now taking shelter on raised platforms, railway tracks, and in government schools and offices," a government spokesperson said.

Torrents of flood waters have breached at least four vital mud embankments in eastern Assam, besides snapping road links. National Highway 52 in eastern Assam has been severely affected.

"We are taking all possible measures to mitigate the woes of the flood-affected people," Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said.

 
Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.
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