Assam flood situation grim; CM asks NEEPCO not to release water from Ranganadi dam

The flood situation remained unchanged during the last 24 hours with 24,226 people of 35 villages affected across Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Biswanath districts.
File Image for Representational Purposes. | AP
File Image for Representational Purposes. | AP

GUWAHATI: The flood situation continued to remain grim in Assam today, with over 24,000 people being affected in three districts, officials said.

The flood situation remained unchanged during the last 24 hours with 24,226 people of 35 villages affected across Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Biswanath districts, the daily bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the flood situation in the worst-hit Lakhimpur district and asked the state-owned power utility North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) not to release water from its Ranganadi dam without warning.

"In view of the deluge in Lakhimpur district created by the sudden release of excess water by NEEPCO from its Ranganadi dam during previous years, Sonowal strongly warned the NEEPCO authorities not to repeat the mistake this year," a release from the Chief Minister's Office said.

The total number of persons losing their lives in flood in the state stands at 34.

Yesterday, a population of 24,244 was affected by the flood waters in 33 villages of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Jorhat districts.

The ASDMA report said, Lakhimpur is the worst affected district with over 16,600 sufferers, followed by Dhemaji with over 6,000 people affected in the deluge.

The CM also said that lack of planning on the NEEPCO's part in making the dam incapable of holding much water results in inundation of Lakhimpur till October-November every year.

He said the NEEPCO authorities should be "prepared for paying for the losses of the people affected by the flood caused by Ranganadi dam's water in the coming days".

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com