Assam floods kill more on receding mode, toll 63

On receding mode, the floods in Assam killed three people on Saturday to take the toll in the second deluge this season to 63. The first wave of floods that ended mid-July had claimed 84 lives. 

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said 16 of the state’s 33 districts continue to remain affected. The number of affected districts was 20 on Friday and 25 on Thursday. 

About 22.11 lakh people continue to remain affected in 1,791 villages, down from 26 lakh on Friday. Officials said almost 22,000 people left relief camps for their villages within the last 24 hours, leaving 68,014 flood-displaced people across 328 relief camps. 

“It has been shining for more than 48 hours now, but we have told relief and rescue personnel in the district to be on their toes because of forecast of rainfall,” an ASDMA officer, declining to be quoted, said. 

On Saturday, 1,486 people were evacuated by boats from flooded areas and taken to safer places. But three people – one each in Dhubri, Morigaon and Golaghat districts – could not be saved from drowning. 

Their death took the flood death toll in Assam this year to 147. More than 65 others died because of rain-induced landslides and flash floods in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. 

ASDMA officials said the Brahmaputra continued to flow above the danger mark at two places – Neematighat in Jorhat district and Dhubri. The Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili and Beki rivers continued to flow above the danger level at one place each. 

The water level at Kaziranga National Park fell by 13cm on Saturday, leaving 28% of the rhino habitat and 53 of the 125 anti-poaching camp areas inundated. Park officials said the deluge has since August 10 killed 227 animals, 16 of them rhinos. Hog deer topped the casualty chart with 187. 

Meanwhile, Northeast Frontier Railway officials said the zone’s network still remain breached in Kishanganj, Katihar and Araria districts of Bihar but restoration work has started. 

“Engineering estimates say full connectivity cannot be restored before August 28. But a few steps have been taken to alleviate the problems of stranded passengers and for movement of goods,” NFR spokesperson Pranav Jyoti Sharma said. 

The steps include facilitating loading of goods at Kishanganj railway station for catering to northern West Bengal and the Northeast. The region is facing a scarcity of essentials due to disruption of railway service for more than a week now.