12.55 lakh people across 20 districts affected; famed Kaziranga National Park and its rhinos affected

The flood situation in Assam turned critical on Monday with 12.55 lakh people across 20 districts affected in the State. The worst-affected district is Lakhimpur, where over 2.92 lakh people have been affected by the deluge, followed by south Salmara, with more than 2.5 lakh affected.

Till Sunday, 4.87 lakh people were affected in the latest wave of floods in the State.

A herd of Indian hog deer swims through flood waters at the Kaziranga National Park, about 250 km east of Guwahati on Monday. | Photo Credit: AFP

According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), seven people were killed in various flood-related incidents in Goalpara, Golaghat, Jorhat and Lakhimpur districts. In Lakhimpur, three persons were killed in the last 24 hours in incidents of drowning and landslides. With this, the total number of deaths caused by this year’s floods has gone up to 33.

National Highways 15, 31 and 52 were damaged at several places.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, and in Dibrugarh, Goalpara and Dhubri towns. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him on Monday and assured all possible help. Many areas is the northeast are affected by the floods. In Arunachal Pradesh, all rivers are running above the danger mark.

Manipur cut off

Manipur remains cut off from the rest of the country as both the NH 2 and NH 37 were disrupted by landslides. Three major landslides occurred along the NH 2 connecting Assam with Manipur.

Most of the Kaziranga National Park is under water and animals are straying into higher ground.

A one-horned rhinoceros takes shelter on a bridge during floods at the Kaziranga National Park

Forest guards have begun boat patrols, especially during night, to save the animals from poachers.

(With inputs from Iboyaima Laithangbam)