india

Updated: Jun 10, 2015 21:39 IST

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated drastically on Wednesday affecting about 1.95 lakh people in over 550 villages and destroying crops in more than 8,200 hectares in the Bramhaputra valley.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its daily flood report that more than 1.95 lakh people have been hit in the first wave of flood in Assam and as of now in 553 villages across Barpeta, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Darrang, Nalbari, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Baksa, Dibrugarh and Kamrup districts.

Till Tuesday, 81,000 people were affected.

The flood death toll remained two, one each in Bongaigaon and Lakhimpur. The report said Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat district, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur and Puthimari at NH Road crossing in Kamrup district.

Lakhimpur has been worst-hit so far with 60,000 people reeling under floods there, followed by Barpeta where nearly more than 43,000 have been affected, it said adding the flood waters have inundated more than 8,200 hectares of crop areas.

Authorities have opened three relief camps at Tinsukia and one at Sonitpur where a total of 273 people are taking shelter. ASDMA said a total 38 roads, bridges and culverts were damaged in Baksa, Tinsukia, Barpeta, Darrang, Nalbari and Sonitpur, while at least 11 breaches were noticed in embankments in a number of districts across the state.

Assam revenue and disaster management minister Bhumidhar Barman and water resource minister Basanta Das on Wednesday held a meeting with other senior officials of the state on the flood situation and discussed issues such as mitigation steps and provision for relief and rescue materials.

Instructions have been issued to the deputy commissioners of the affected districts to provide relief and rehabilitate the affected, an official release said. Barman said sufficient food stock and medicines have been kept ready to tackle the flood.

The authorities have opened two toll free helplines - 1070 for State Emergency Operation Centre and 1077 for District Emergency Operation Centre, official sources said.