Three more killed in Assam flood; over 7.3 lakh people hit

The flood situation in Assam worsened today with three more persons losing their lives and over 7.3 lakh people being affected in nearly 1,600 villages due to incessant rains across the state.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its flood report that two persons died under Dhemaji revenue circle in Dhemaji district.
One person died in Sonai revenue circle in Cachar district during the last 24 hours, it said.
With this, the current deluge has claimed 18 lives in the current wave of floods while the toll in this year's two waves of flood rose to 23 in the state.

A mother and her minor son were washed away by Sessa river which was in spate at Thakuthan on the outskirts of Dibrugarh town last night when they were going to a relief camp, district administration officials said.
The woman Monika Das, her husband Milon Das and son Dudu were washed away by the river, but her husband was rescued by the people, while the two others remained untraced till now.

ASDMA said over 7.35 lakh people had been affected in 1,597 villages across Dhemaji, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Goalpara, Morigaon, Cachar, Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Tinsukia, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Udalguri, Kamrup and Dibrugarh districts.

The worst hit was Dhemaji district with over 3.4 lakh people suffering due to the flood followed by Lakhimpur with more than 70,000 people being affected, the ASDMA said.
Till yesterday, over 4.6 lakh people were hit by flood waters across 1,031 villages in 14 districts across the state.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today directed officials to provide immediate relief to people affected by excessive rains leading to floods in the state.
Reviewing the situation arising out of increasing water levels in the Brahmaputra, Barak and their tributaries in many districts, he asked the Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia to ensure that communication was not snapped due to flood and all efforts should be initiated to restore the same.

Nearly 1.2 lakh hectares of cropland were under water currently, ASDMA said.
Authorities have opened 168 relief camps in Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Cachar, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Sonitpur, Nalbari and Dibrugarh, where more than 51,000 people have taken shelter.
At present, the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks at Dibrugarh town, Nematighat in Jorhat district, Tezpur in Sonitpur and Dhubri town, they said.
Besides, the Burhidehing river at Khowang in Dibrugarh, the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat, the Jia Bharali river at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur, the Puthimari at NH Road crossing in Kamrup, the Pagladiya at NH Road crossing in Nalbari, the Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta, the Sankosh at Golokganj in Dhubri and the Kushiyara at Karimganj town have been also flowing above the danger marks.

In the last 24 hours, the flood waters have damaged at least 13 roads in Darrang, Baksa, Jorhat, Barpeta, Nalbari, Udalguri, Dhemaji, Cachar and Dibrugarh and three bridges in Baksa, Jorhat and Nalbari.
ASDMA said four embankments were also breached in Baksa and Nalbari districts.