The flood situation in Assam remained grim with the death toll rising to 69 and new areas getting submerged.
Two more persons died on Tuesday, one each in Morigaon and Golaghat districts.
The Brahmaputra continues to flow above the danger level at Neematighat in Jorhat district, the Jia Bharali in Sonitpur district, the Puthimari in Kamrup district, the Gaurang in Kokrajhar, the Kushiyara in Karimganj district and the Beki in Barpeta district.
Two revenue circles under Baksa district were reeling under floodwaters on Tuesday while the number of relief camp inmates went up to 1.03 lakh on Tuesday from 96,000 on Monday.
Nearly 28 lakh people in 19 districts are affected by floods, in addition to 1.26 lakh hectares of cropland.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday visited the flood-affected areas in Goalpara district and interacted with inmates in three relief camps in Goalpara town.
He inspected different areas under Dudhnoi Assembly constituency. Executive engineer Padmananda Choudhury apprised the chief minister of the damage to rural roads in the district.
Sonowal assured them of post-flood repair of damaged schools and houses. The inmates expressed satisfaction over relief camp management by the district administration. Sonowal also held a meeting with the departmental heads at the deputy commissioner’s office.
In Dhubri district, heavy rainfall over the past two days has led to the rise in the water level of the Gangadhar at Golakganj and the Gaurang at Bilasipara and submerging new areas on Tuesday.
The Gangadhar has submerged Tamarhat, Kumarganj, Golakganj, Hatidura and the road connecting Tamarhat to Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district.
The Gaurang has inundated several villages under Alengmari and Udmari gaon panchayats. The rising waters have also damaged the approach road of the bridge connecting Udmari to Salkocha.
Dhubri deputy commissioner Ananta Lal Gyani said the situation was under control and the administration had made arrangements to deal with any emergency.
Bilasipara subdivisional officer, block development officer and officials of the departments concerned are on alert, he added.
The Lions and Leo Clubs of Dhubri distributed relief materials among the flood-affected people in the town.
Train services in the Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway have been affected by heavy rain since Monday night. The downpour has hit signalling and telecommunication equipment at Banarhat, Hasimara, Chautara, Jorai, Srirampur and Dangtol.
Rainwater has submerged the tracks at Jorai and in some areas under Gossaigaon-Srirampur-Jorai section resulting in track erosion. Visibility was also poor in many areas.
Incessant rainfall in Upper Assam’s Dhemaji district and in the hilly terrain has led to severe erosion by the Simen river, sweeping away seven houses and a temple in Ananadapur village on Monday night. The swollen river has created a new stream towards the village, turning it into a small island.
“Our houses, which we had built with our hard-earned money after working as daily wage labourers, have been washed away,” Ajay Namasudra, 35, said.
Anandapur falls under Simenmukh gaon panchayat in Silapathar.
Locals are helping the affected families by providing bamboo and other building materials to set up makeshift shelters. “There is scarcity of food and drinking water, but we are getting help from locals. We are waiting for assistance from the administration,” Namasudra said.
The Duliajan unit of All Assam Students’ Union, Duliajan College and members of Sanmilita Sangbadik Manch on Tuesday distributed relief materials to 300 flood-affected people at Lezai in Dibrugarh district.
The Dao Gunners unit of the army organised a medical camp at Neul Gaon under West Jorhat revenue circle in Jorhat district on Tuesday. A team of three doctors treated 1,200 patients.
Additional reporting by Mukesh Kumar Singh in Dhubri, Sofikul Ahmed in Goalpara, Pradip Kumar Neog in Duliajan and Devajit Baruah in Jorhat
