india

Updated: Jul 10, 2017 19:32 IST

Floods caused by heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across Assam on Monday claiming seven more lives and taking the total deaths to 34.

Three of the deaths were reported from Lakhimpur district, two from Jorhat and one each from Goalpara and Golaghat. Six of the victims died due to drowning and one due to landslide.

According to a state disaster management authority report, over 1.2 million people in 20 of the total 28 districts remained affected in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys.

The flood affected districts are-Lakhimpur, Darrang, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Majuli, Barpeta, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Chirang, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, North Salmara and Kokrajhar.

The Brahmaputra flowed above the danger level at Dibrugarh, Nimatighat, Tezpur, Goalpara and Dhubri. Several other rivers like Siang, Subansiri, Dikhow, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Puthimari, Beki, Barak and Kushiyara also flowed above the danger mark at nine places.

Over 2,000 villages remained inundated on Monday and over 1 million hectares of crop area affected. More than 18,000 people displaced by floods are taking shelter in 148 relief camps.

Heavy rainfall has led to erosion of embankments at several places, blocked highways, caused landslides and damaged roads and bridges.

According to alert issued by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), heavy to very heavy rainfall would continue at several places in Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura for two more days.

Flood water is flowing over several roads in the state and also inundated vast areas of national parks and sanctuaries including Kaziranga forcing wild animals like rhino to flee to higher areas.

“There could be more water logging in the next few days. Our staff has been alerted and we request help from local residents to save the wild animals,” appealed forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma on Monday morning after taking stock of flood scene at Kaziranga national park.