Four more dead in Assam floods; improvement in overall situation

Guwahati, August 20 (PTI): The flood situation in Assam improved slightly today, though four more deaths were reported and nearly 19 lakh people still affected in 15 districts of the state due to the natural calamity. According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person each died in Biswanath, Darrang, Kamrup and Morigaon districts in flood- related incidents.
The third wave of the devastating floods has claimed 67 lives so far and the total number of deaths in flood-related incidents in the north-eastern state has gone up to 151 this year, including eight in capital Guwahati. According to the ASDMA, 18.65 lakh people were still affected in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Majuli districts.
Till yesterday, the number of affected people was 22 lakh in 16 districts of the state. As per the ASDMA, Morigaon was the worst-hit district with 5.21 lakh affected people, followed by Barpeta, where 4.67 lakh people were hit by the deluge. As many as 1,493 villages were under water and 1.15 lakh hectares of crop area were inundated, it said.
The authorities were running 276 relief camps and distribution centres in 13 districts, where 54,982 people had taken shelter, the ASDMA added. Nearly 1,200 people had been evacuated to safer places, the report said.
The devastating flood has damaged embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructures in Barpeta, Nagaon, Dhubri, Dibrugarh and Dima Hasao.
The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nimatighat in Jorhat and Dhubri town. The Dhansiri river is flowing above the danger mark at Numaligarh in Golaghat, the Kopili at Dharamtul in Nagaon and the Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta.