One Drowns, 1.5 Lakh People Affected in Assam Floods

Lakhimpur/Golaghat, Sep 11 : One person drowned and around 1.5 lakh people were affected in the flash floods which hit Assam’s Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Golaghat and Sonitpur districts following incessant rains in the upper reaches.

In worst-hit Lakhimpur district, one Govinda Bora drowned in the swollen Sesa river, under Narayanpur revenue circle, after it broke its right bank dyke inundating 30 villages, including Buraburi, Boralopar, Kathalijan and Hingia affecting around 15,000 people, officials said today.

The carcass of a two-year-old rhino calf was recovered from the flood waters inside the Kaziranga National Park’s Gorakali camp area in Golaghat.

Floods due to heavy rains has inundated larges areas of Kaziranga forcing the animals to come out of the national park to move towards the highlands of neighbouring hill district of Karbi Anglong and nearby tea estates for shelter, they said.

Forest officials were patrolling the Park and its vicinity to prevent poaching and for ensuring safety of the animals crossing over to Karbi Anglong. The speed of vehicles on the National Highway passing through the park is being controlled by imposing 144 CrPC.

Singora, Gandhali and Gabhoru rivers had submerged 32 villages in Narayanpur while in Lakhimpur, Ranganadi has inundated 10 villages, including Major Sapori, Bongaon, Gorsinga, Pandhuwa, Dhandharin kathonin, Jorkhat and Baligaon.

In neighbouring Dhemaji, 30,000 people in 60 villages were affected by swelling Siang river in Pasighat of Arunachal Pradesh, Brahmaputra, Thimen and Lali rivers in Assam.

A red alert has been sounded in Dhemaji district as Brahmaputra and its tributaries were rising menacingly and in Lakhimpur it was above the danger level along its course from Arunachal Pradesh due to heaving rains during the last four days, the officials said.

Rivers Kabusapori, Berasapori, Bogorisapori, Borang and Tengajan in Jonai subdivision, and Jiadhol, Gainadi and Kumotia in Dhemaji subdivision in west Dhemaji subdivision were flowing above the danger level.

At Samarajan national highway-52 was submerged by the deluge which also over topped the metre gauge railway track halting the movement of the Arunachal Express and Rangiya- Jonai passenger train to the last rail head Mokokcheleng on the Assam-Arunachal border.

In Sonitpur, eight villages were submerged by the rushing waters of Sesa river at Kolabari area.

The district administrations were providing rice to the affected people, while the National Disaster Response Force was helping in shifting affected people to safer places.

Many people on their own were sheltering on roads, raised platforms and railway tracks, in government schools and offices not yet affected by the floods, sources said.

Health and veterinary doctors with their teams were also attending to the flood-hit people and their domestic animals.

This is the second wave of floods in Assam this year after the first one last month.