Assam flood worsens: Ten big developments

The fresh wave of flood has left 16 of Assam's 27 districts submerged. These flood-hit districts are - Baksa, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivsagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia.

According to a government report released on Tuesday, 1,916 villages in these 16 districts are reeling under flood water.  As a result, more than 17 lakh people have been displaced, 18 have died and many others are missing. Close to four lakh have taken shelter at the 166 relief camps set up by the district administration.

The deluge has brought with it misery and colossal losses- lakhs of homes have been washed away, thousands of hectares of standing crop has been destroyed and roads and bridges have been damaged.

While lakhs of people in the state are fighting the devastating the flood, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is away in Japan on a study tour. He has reportedly now decided to cut short his visit and is expected to return today. He left for Japan on September 21 on a six-day trip as a member of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers.

The Chief Minister has directed the state administration to use helicopters and mechanised boats to step up rescue and relief operations. He has also asked all ministers in his cabinet to visit the flood-affected districts and oversee relief and rescue operations.

The National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, the army and the IAF are all engaged in rescue and relief operations.

The Brahmaputra, Burhidehing, Subansiri, Dhansiri and the Jia Bharali rivers are flowing above danger level at many places.

Parts of National Highway 52, which connects Dhemaji in Assam to Arunachal Pradesh, is also submerged and there are fears of scarcity of food and other materials in the district. Assam's main city Guwahati also came under threat of floods and many areas of Pandu and Adabari areas are submerged.

Over 80 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park remained under flood water and over 10 animals died in the park due to floods. Vast areas of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district and Dibru Choikhowa National Park in Tinsukia district were also submerged.

The worst affected area in the state is Majuli Island. About 70 per cent of its land has been submerged under water and hence all educational institutions there have been closed down.  Another badly affected region, the Sadia subdivision in Tinsukia, has 80 per cent of its landmass under water.