GUWAHATI: Nearly 5.74 lakh people in 22 of Assam’s 34 districts are affected by the first wave of the floods which were triggered by incessant rains.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said one more person – a child – died on Tuesday which took the death toll to three. Several rivers, including the Brahmaputra, were in a spate, flowing above the danger level.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and took stock of the situation.
“Spoke to Assam CM Shri @himantabiswa and took stock of the flood situation in parts of the state. Assured all possible support from the Centre to help mitigate the situation. I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas,” the PM tweeted.
Sarma expressed his gratitude to Modi for standing up with the people of Assam at this hour of crisis.
According to ASDMA, 1,278 villages in 61 revenue circles have been affected. The 5,73,938 affected people include 1,91,821 women and 1,44,582 children.
The authorities set up 105 relief camps where 4,009 of the marooned were taking shelter. Cropland affected was in areas of over 39,831 hectares. Roads and infrastructure were damaged in several districts.
The rising water of the Brahmaputra inundated over 70% of the Kaziranga National Park. So far, nine animals – two swamp deer and seven hog deer – died. Some of them died in vehicle hits on a national highway that traverses the World Heritage Site, famed for one-horned rhinos.
A 10-day old rhino calf was rescued by the forest guards from the park on Tuesday. The mother could not be traced. The weak and debilitated calf was sent to the nearby Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation for stabilization and rehabilitation.
“Vast tracts of the park have been hit by the deluge and the park authorities are keeping a close watch on the movement of animals that cross over the national highway and face the risk of being run over,” Sabir Nishat, PRO to the forest minister, told The New Indian Express.