Two men wade through flood water at Goalpara in Assam. (Press Trust of India)
Sixteen more bodies were recovered today from two flood-hit districts of Assam, raising the toll in the deluge to 32, as Army and disaster response forces personnel evacuated hundreds of marooned people from affected areas.
A report by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said there has been no rain since yesterday in the state where 8.4 lakh people were affected in 13 districts.
It said six bodies were recovered from Bolbola and Krishnai areas of Goalpara district.
Ten bodies were found in neighbouring Kamrup Rural district where four others are missing, Deputy Commissioner J Balaji said.
The authorities have opened 162 relief camps where 1.5 lakh odd people were staying with Goalpara district, the worst-hit in the floods due to heavy rains in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh during the past 3-4 days.
Personnel of the Army and disaster response forces of the state and the Centre were conducting rescue operations as 8.4 lakh people were affected in 712 villages of 13 districts while over one lakh hectares of crop area was under water, the ASDMA report said.
Several embankments have been breached and dozens of roads are damaged across the state.
During the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to take stock of the flood situation and assured him of all assistance.
Chief Minister Gogoi deputed Agriculture Minister Nilamani Sen Deka and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain to review the situation in Goalpara and coordinate relief and rescue operations, an official spokesperson said.
The ministers have announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 3.5 lakh to the next of kin of those who died in the flood.
The situation in Guwahati was improving slowly with waters receding from Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Rajgarh and Zoo Road areas, an official release said.
Flood waters from neighbouring Meghalaya have inundated Betkuchi, Bashistha Chariali, Katahbari and Gorchuk areas of the city along the National Highway 37.
Traffic along National Highway 37 resumed but it moved very slowly as several parts are still submerged.
All educational institutions in the city were closed for the third consecutive day today.
Northeast Frontier Railway said that eight trains were cancelled and seven others scheduled for tomorrow diverted due to floods in lower Assam and track restoration work.
It would run two special trains between New Bongaigaon-Goalpara Town and Guwahati-Chaygaon from September 25 to September 30 to facilitate travel of flood-hit people.
Goalpara, Kamrup Metro, Kamrup Rural, Dhubri, Dhemaji, Barpeta, Udalguri, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, Morigaon, Nagaon, Darrang and Lakhimpur have been badly damaged in the recent spate of floods.