GUWAHATI: Heavy floods, triggered by monsoon rains, has wreaked havoc in Assam and adjoining Arunachal Pradesh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah dialled the chief ministers of the two states on Monday to take stock of the situation. He assured all possible support and assistance from the Centre to them to deal with the situation.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in a statement said seven districts in the state were reeling under the floods, which affected a population of 45,839 in 257 villages.
Authorities have set up 12 relief camps/centres.
"Disang River was in a spate, flowing above the danger level," the ASDMA said.
Although no death was reported, one person was missing from Dhemaji.
This upper Assam district was the worst-hit, where an iron bridge over the Kemi River was swept away, while a railway bridge partially collapsed, prompting the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to suspend train operations on the route.
"This bridge, constructed in 1965 and later converted to broad gauge, was in good and safe condition, but due to the washing away of a large portion of the riverbank during the heavy rains, one of its piers became unstable,” the NFR said in a statement.
The deluge submerged vast swathes of land in the district, affecting normal life. There are reports that at least 15 people remained stuck on a sandbar following a sudden rise in a river’s water level.
At Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s direction, ministers Keshab Mahanta and Sushanta Borgohain visited Dhemaji to assess the flood and erosion situation.
They instructed officials to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted availability of essential supplies and relief materials.
Meanwhile, the situation remained worse in Arunachal, where the rains damaged roads, bridges and houses in 12 districts. Landslides also occurred in a few places.
The Indian Air Force on Monday rescued four people who were stranded on a River island in Lower Dibang Valley district.
Altogether, 11 major roads were blocked due to damage or landslides, and officials said only two could be reopened. At least three people were killed in the floods in the state, while two remained missing.