By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Seven more persons died in the floods in Assam on Tuesday. With these, the death toll in the rain-induced floods and landslides in the Northeast went up to 126 – 88 in Assam, 32 in Meghalaya and 6 in Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, over 55.42 lakh people from 5,577 villages in 32 districts have been affected. Cropland affected was in over 1.08 lakh hectares. Some rivers, including the Brahmaputra, were flowing above the danger level. Over 2.62 lakh of the marooned were taking shelter in 1,687 relief camps.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) would visit the flood-affected areas of Assam and Meghalaya to assess the damages. After the first wave of the floods, an IMCT had visited the affected areas of Assam from May 26-29.
As the flood situation continues to remain critical in Cachar, the authorities rushed the personnel of National Disaster Response Force to this southern Assam district to conduct rescue operations.
The state’s Transport, Fisheries and Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidya reviewed the flood situation with senior officials of Cachar and adjoining Karimganj district administrations on Tuesday. He told them that top priority must be accorded to relief and rescue operations.
The floodwaters receded at the one horn rhino-famed Kaziranga National Park. Roughly 16 per cent of the park was inundated, official sources said. It was 18 per cent on Monday. So far, seven hog deer and one leopard died due to various reasons, including flooding and vehicle hit. A national highway traverses beside the park and the authorities restricted the speed limit of vehicles.
