2 die as Assam flood situation worsens

Two persons died today and around 16 lakh people of 19 districts of Assam are affected by flood as the water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries continue to rise submerging houses, farm lands and wild life sanctuaries.
One person died at Mayong in Morigaon district and another at Lakhipur in Goalpara district, Assam State Disaster Management Authority today said.
Nearly 2,700 villages in 71 revenue circles are inundated in Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Dibrugarh, Chirang, Goalpara, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Darrang and Nalbari districts, the ASDMA said.
Over 80 per cent of rhino habitat Kaziranga National Park is flooded and the rising water level caused largescale migration of hog deer across NH-37 to the high lands of Karbi Anglong hills, KNP Divisional Forest Officer Suvasish Das said.

A few rhinos have also moved there and they are being constantly monitored, he said.
Altogether 34 hog deer were rescued yesterday and today while four were killed died due to vehicle hit as they were crossing NH-37. Three also got drowned yesterday, Das said.

A rhino calf and a juvenile fishing cat were also rescued today, he added.
Of the 178 anti-poaching camps in the World Heritage Site, 129 were inundated with the flood waters reaching the base of the camps.
The forest staff of KNP's Agoratoli Range rescued 70 people from two submerged villages, the DFO said.
As Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the densest habitat of one horned rhinos, in Morigaon district is completely under flood water, Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma has rushed there to take stock of the situation there.

The minister has directed forest officials to take additional measures for protection of the wild animals, particularly of those that came out due to the flood, officials of Pobitora said.
Meanwhile, Morigaon district administration has provided two mechanised boats to Pobitoara for anti-poaching vigil even as five anti-poaching camps are damaged there.
The Army, SDRF and NDRF were assisting district administrations in evacuating the affected population to safer places, the ASDMA said.