For the second time this month, heavy to very heavy rains have triggered massive floods in Assam, killing at least 26 people till Saturday and affecting more than 18 lakh people in 23 districts of the state.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh visited the state on Saturday and conducted an aerial survey of Nagaon, Morigaon and Kaziranga with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union minister for development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh. The home minister said that the "situation is grim but the chief minister and his team are doing well in managing the situation." Singh said the state already has Rs 620 crore and the Centre will provide additional funds if needed.
He added that the "state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the victims. The NDRF, SDRF and the Army have saved more than 6,000 lives in Assam."
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the Brahmaputra river was flowing above the danger mark at several locations across Jorhat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Golaghat, Dhubri and Barpeta. Floods have also hit Bihar where 26 have died and the affected districts include Supaul, Katihar, Kishanganj, Darbangha and Purnea.
ASDMA sources told dna that water levels had started receding in upper Assam, the worst-affected region. According to an ASDMA release, 76 revenue circles, 2,893 villages and 1.95 lakh hectares of standing crops were affected.
More than 1 lakh people each were affected across Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Goalpara and Darrang districts. In Morigaon, nearly 3.6 lakh people were affected. ASDMA sources also said that 402 relief camps and 291 relief distribution centres are providing shelter to 2.4 lakh people.
"Fifteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, with around 600 people, and three Army columns, comprising over 350 people, are engaged in rescue-and-relief work. The army columns have been deployed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaigaon," said an ASDMA functionary. Nearly 350 boats have been deployed across 14 districts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Guwahati, said that upper Assam received less rainfall between Friday and Saturday morning while southern Assam received heavy rainfall on Saturday. According to the weathermen, a trough and circulation over Bay of Bengal are resulting in heavy rains across the state. More rains have been predicted, though they may not be widespread.
Nine rhinos drown in Kaziranga
The heavy downpour in Assam has also led to the worst floods so far at the UNESCO world heritage site, Kaziranga National Park. While nine rhinos drowned, nine rhino calfs were rescued, Rathin Barman, wildlife biologist from the Wildlife Trust of India, who is also associated with the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga, said.
"Close to 100 animals have been rescued from inside Kaziranga and 52 of them have been released back. Other than rhinos, we have also rescued the endangered hog deer," Barman told dna. Elephants, known as one of the most intelligent species of mammals, moved to higher altitudes before the water rose in the park, Barman said. "Elephants are quick to sense rising water levels and many herds crossed the National Highway 37 to higher ground," Barman added.
The park is home to the endangered one-horned rhinoceros and nearly 90 per cent of the park has been flooded. Around 150 people from the Assam forest department, wildlife NGOs and citizen-volunteers have joined hands to rescue animals in Kaziranga.
Along with the one-horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga is home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, gaurs, swamp deers and elephants. The park is rich in grassland habitat.
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