Flood havoc in Assam, Arunachal

Lakhs of people have been hit in at least 15 districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by floods caused by torrential rains in the last few days, an official bulletin said.

Flash floods have affected over three lakh people in Assam's 10 districts of Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivsagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia district, said the bulletin prepared by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

The bulletin said 36 relief camps have been set up by the district authorities for the flood-hit.

The officials of the Central Water Commission warned that the Brahmaputra river and three of its tributaries - Dhansiri, Jiadhal, Puthimari - and the Beki river were still flowing above the danger mark at several places of the state.

In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, at least five districts were affected by floods in the last few days.

Chief minister Nabam Tuki Saturday made an aerial survey and visited the flood-hit areas of Changlang, Lohit, Upper and Lower Dibang Valley and East Siang districts.

The chief minister announced an amount of Rs.2.5 crore for emergency protection works in all the flood-hit areas and instructed the chief secretary to release the fund immediately.

Official sources in the Arunachal Pradesh said that the rising water level of the Noa-Dihing and the Siang rivers had caused the floods.