Several districts of Assam, including capital city Guwahati, have been hit by flash floods due to incessant rainfall for past three days in Assam and in the adjoining state of Meghalaya. At least 10 persons have lost their lives due to floods or landslides and thousands have been displaced.
The districts of Goalpara, Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup and Dhubri have been badly affected due to the flash floods. There have been reports of landslides and landslips at many places in and around the Guwahati city. At least five persons have lost their lives due to landslides in Guwahati city in past 24 hours. Many areas of the city are reeling under knee-deep water, including the area housing MLA hostel.
The state government has launched a massive and coordinated effort with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)to help evacuate and rescue the people in the flood affected areas. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, in an emergency meeting, took stock of the flash floods in the state and Guwahati and instructed the officials to intensify rescue operations and to evacuate the stranded people.
Around 300 persons have been evacuated from Anil Nagar area of Guwahati and housed in relief camps opened by the Kamrup metropolitan district administration. The district administration has made arrangements for distribution of drinking water, candles, biscuits and other items to the affected people in the Guwahati city.
Two teams of SDRF were sent to Goalpara from Barpeta and Nalbari to reinforce the manpower and boats available in the district and this was further supplemented by dispatch two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Guwahati and Sonitpur.
Helicopter was also requisitioned from the Air Force as a stand by measure and was used to survey the isolated and marooned areas.
According to the district administration, the discharge of water in Guwahati city has been much higher due to the evictions carried out in the water channels recently and hence the damage, it claimed, has not been as devastating as the increased volume of rainfall would have otherwise caused.
Rivers such as Dhansiri, Beki, Jia Bharali and Puthimari are flowing above danger level at various places in the state. Districts of Barpeta, Udalguri, North Lakhimpur are also facing flood fury.
