Assam flood situation turns grim

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam continued to be grave on Friday with more than half of the districts submerged by waters of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries, leading to the death of three persons and affecting 4.23 lakh people.

The swirling flood waters have forced the railway authority to control train services due to "settlement of tracks" in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section, Northeast Frontier Railway sources said.

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the affected districts are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Nalbari, Chirang, Golaghat, Majuli, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Morigaon, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Baksa, Sonitpur, Darrang and Barpeta.

Barpeta is the worst hit with over 85,000 people reeling under the impact of the floods, it said.

The ASDMA said nearly 800 villages in 41 revenue circles are under water and about 2,000 marooned people have been put up in 53 relief camps and relief distribution centres set up by the district administrations.

Kaziranga National Park, the famed habitat of the Great Indian Rhino and a World Heritage site, has been affected too forcing the authorities to set up road barricades on the national highway passing near it to limit the speed of vehicles, said Kaziranga divisional forest officer Ruhini Saikia.

The Golaghat administration has also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in the areas near the park as the animals are coming out from it to go to the Karbi Anglong hills across the national highway in search of safety in its high grounds.

To ensure the safety of ferry passengers in view of the rising water level and fast current in Brahmaputra, the Inland Water Transport Division has temporarily suspended operation of all departmental boats/ vessels in the Guwahati-based ferry services under it from July 12 till further order.