This Article is From Jun 25, 2012

Flood situation turns worse in Assam

Guwahati: Flood situation continued to deteriorate in Assam on Monday with reports coming in of more villages being inundated by surging waters of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries in upper Assam districts, officials said.

Flood waters have inundated at least 100 villages in Jorhat, Tinsukia, Sivsagar and Dibrugarh districts since Sunday, state disaster management authorities said here.

Earlier, state Agriculture Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka said eight people have died in the floods in Nalbari and Barpeta districts of lower Assam. He noted that the floods have affected about 10,000 hectares of cropland in 15 districts.

"Fresh villages have been inundated since Sunday evening in the four districts of upper Assam. However, there is no report of any human causality so far in the region," an official said.

The water levels of Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were increasing and flowing above the danger level at many places across the state, the sources said, adding that water level had been rising alarmingly in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts.

Meanwhile, authorities have prohibited the movement of passenger ferries and boats on the Brahmaputra river.

"Assam's river island and top seat of Vaishnavite culture, Majuli, was cut off on Monday as the Jorhat district administration ordered to stop running of passenger ferries and boats between Nimatighat and Majuli due to rising water levels.," an official said.

"Similarly, the movement of passenger boats and ferries between Dhala and Sadiya has been stopped after the water level reached above the danger mark," he added.

Floods have also affected the Dibru Sakhowa National Park in Tinsukia district and the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district. Surging flood water has also snapped road connection between many places in upper Assam, sources said.
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