GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam worsened on Thursday, with train services being affected and educational institutions remaining closed.
The deluge, triggered by incessant rains, affected nearly three lakh people in 611 villages across the state’s 13 districts.
Official sources said a number of rivers, including the Brahmaputra, were flowing above the danger mark.
The flood situation was grim in Dhemaji, Kokrajhar, Chirang and Bongaigaon districts. In Bongaigaon, the authorities have declared holiday for educational institutions.
The Northeast Frontier Railway said several trains, including the high-speed Rajdhani Express were stranded in Western Assam after the floodwaters inundated a stretch of the track.
The floods damaged crops and roads, inundated two national parks and breached embankments in several districts. Altogether, 84,779 people have taken shelter in the relief camps opened by the administration.
The Army has, meanwhile, launched rescue and relief operations in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. At least five persons have lost their lives in the natural calamity so far.
Mizoram, Tripura and Assam’s Barak Valley were cut off from the rest of the country, following heavy landslides in Meghalaya. Landslides were also reported from parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
“All efforts are being made to evacuate the affected people and provide relief to them,” said Assam Water Resources Minister Basanta Kumar Das.
According to IMD, the rains would subside after 24 hours.
“The rains are widespread. The increase in rainfall was due to the break in Monsoon,” an IMD scientist told Express.