3.17 Lakh People Affected As Assam Faces Third Wave Of Floods

With heavy rain for the last few days, Assam is facing its third wave of floods this year amid the pandemic.

Nearly 3.17 lakh people in 13 districts have been affected, with over 1.50 lakh people affected in Kampur circle of Nagaon district alone. At least 119 people in the state died this year this year due to the floods.

Worst-hit Kampur, 125 km east of Guwahati, have been flooded for the third time this year with nine other districts being affected due to the incessant rains, forcing hundreds to move to relief camps.

"Flash flood came two days back, water level in the area suddenly went up, we shifted to a relief tent with family," said a local.

With Brahmaputra river flowing above the danger mark, the ferry service between Guwahati city and North Guwahati has been suspended.

Close to 400 villages have been affected by the third waves of floods. Over 13 thousand hectares of crop land has been submerged under the flood waters.

The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Neamatighat in Jorhat district and Tezpur in Sonitpur. Its tributaries Jia Bharali and Kopili are also in spate.

"This is the biggest flood in these areas this year. It's a flash flood so water suddenly come rushing, the nearby river nearby is also in full spate. Thus, many villages are inundated," said another local.

In Meghalaya, landslides triggered by heavy rains killed 13 people last week.

Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal together got 40 per cent rain in excess of the normal this year. The rest of the northeast was in deficit.

Assam has received 11 percent excess rains this monsoon, Arunachal Pradesh has received 6 percent excess and Meghalaya has received 23 percent excess rains.

From May to September, three successive waves of floods affected over 60 lakh people in 5000 villages in Assam.