Assam: State floods turning critical; toll rises to 26

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Incessant rains in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have worsened the flood situation in Assam further, where another person lost his life, raising the death toll to 26 in this flood season. The situation is likely to be critical as the IMD (India Meteorological Department) has predicted a fresh alert of enhanced rainfall until June 22 in the state.

Receiving waters from Arunachal Pradesh, the Chatrang River overflowed at Gohpur and inundated a few wards in Gohpur town, besides the caving in of the road on either side of the PWD’s concrete bridge that also caved in near Gohpur town, snapping the direct connectivity to a few areas in Gohpur town. The police rush to the spot to take stock of the situation.

The floods also took a critical turn in Kampur, where the water level of the Kopili River is surging.

In lower Assam, the surging water of the Gaurang River eroded the sides of a PWD road at Haq Bazar in Bilasipara. In West Nalbari, the Buradiya River wreaked havoc by inundating several villages and damaging crop areas.

Flood waters also submerged several villages in Sorbhog, in the Barpeta district.

The situation in the Karimganj district is still critical.

Meanwhile, the IMD sounded a fresh alert for enhanced rainfall in the state up to June 22. In its weather bulletin issued today, IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre Guwahati predicted the continuation of enhanced rainfall over Assam from June 18 to 22.

The bulletin said that “there is a cyclonic circulation over northeast Assam and its neighbourhood extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level that persists.  Under the influence of the above synoptic condition and moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal to the Northeastern Region of India due to strong southly and south-westerly winds in the lower levels, widespread rainfall accompanied by heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Assam during June 18–22, 2024.”

According to the ASDMA (Assam State Disaster Management Authority), as of now, floods have inundated 470 villages in 15 districts. The affected villages are Biswanath, Lakhimpurpur, Hojai, Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Udalguri, Darrang, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Goalpara, Nagaon, Chirang, and Kokrajhar. The worst affected is Karimganj, where 225 villages are under water. Following Karimganj is the Bongaigaon district, where flood water inundated 53 villages. The lone person who died due to the flood today is from the Hailakandi district.

As of date, 27 relief camps have been set up in the Karimganj district, sheltering 5,114 people.

There are reports of damage to many embankments in the state. 

According to a CWC report, the Kopili River is flowing above the danger level at Kampur.

Also Read: Assam: Flood fury still grips 93 villages in state (sentinelassam.com)

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