Assam: Flood waters recede; death toll climbs to 66 in state

Wildlife in Kaziranga continues to perish; casualties touch 129

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The devastating flood waters in the state seem to be somewhat receding in some places, but the death toll has continued to climb. With eight more deaths, including those of three children, in the last 24 hours, the death toll in the two waves of floods has reached 66.

On the other hand, the death toll in wildlife in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) also continued to increase, with the toll reaching 129, up from yesterday’s 114  animal casualties in the floods. Out of the 129 casualties, 98 animals died from drowning in the flood waters, 20 died under care in camps, and the rest perished in accidents while attempting to cross the national highway to escape the flood waters. Over 70 percent of the area in KNP is submerged, and many animals are taking shelter on the highlands inside the park, but these are not enough to shelter a large number of animals.

The number of affected villages and districts has gone down slightly, but the people are still unable to go back to their homes, and thousands are taking shelter in relief camps. The affected villages are now 3446 in 28 districts, with the affected population down to 22.74 lakh from more than 24 lakh earlier. Rescue efforts by the NDRF, SDRF, and district administration continued in the eight districts of Bongaigaon, Cachar, Charaideo, Darrang, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, and Sivasagar.

Of the eight people who perished in the floods in the last 24 hours, there were two each from Nalbari and Dhubri districts and one each from Cachar, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, and Goalpara districts.

Meanwhile, the state ministers, MLAs, and officials personally reached out to flood victims, heard their grievances, and took feedback while making assessments of the flood damage in different districts. The government also gave thrust to the safety and cleanliness of flood relief camps to prevent any disease from spreading and making the situation worse.

Also Read: Assam: No change in flood situation; Amit Shah takes stock from CM (sentinelassam.com)

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