Assam flood situation improves, 121 villages affected

GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam improved further today though over 30,000 people in over 120 villages across the state continued to reel under it.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority ( ASDMA) in its daily flood report said that more than 30,000 people are affected in 121 villages across Barpeta, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Morigaon and Lakhimpur districts due to the flood in Brahmaputra river.

The figure till yesterday was nearly 50,0000 people in 207 villages under 11 districts across the state.

Barpeta district was the worst-hit with over 13,000 people still in the grip of the flood, followed by Goalpara where more than 8,000 people are still affected, ASDMA said.

At present, Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat and Dhubri town while its tributary Jia Bharali at N T Road crossing in Sonitpur, ASDMA said.

Authorities are running three relief camps in Tinsukia, where a total of 198 persons are taking shelter at this moment, it said adding over 3,000 hectares of crop area are under water currently.

The death toll in the first wave of flood in Assam continues to be three - one each in Bongaigaon, Lakhimpur and Baksa districts.

The Assam government has meanwhile received Centre's approval for Rs 1,387 crore to implement flood control measures.

The amount was sanctioned against 41 flood control related schemes in the state, an official release said.

In addition to this, the Water Resources department has received sanctions for eight schemes worth Rs 42 crore for Barak valley under the Chief Minister's Special Package, the statement said.

The government is currently implementing 38 different schemes related to flood control measures, it added.