Flood situation in Assam grim as 10 major rivers are flowing above danger level

The Guwahati-Dullabcherra- Guwahati train will be short terminated/short originated at/from Baraigram and remained cancelled between Baraigram and Dullabcherra till Tuesday.

Guwahati/Rangia/Jorhat: The flood situation in Assam was grim on Sunday as 10 major rivers were flowing above the danger level and 78,000 people affected by the deluge in more than 15 districts.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah enquired about the flood situation in the state and offered all assistance.

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Eight people have died in floods and landslides in the state so far, which has affected over 78,000 residents in more than 15 districts, officials said. Road transport, train movement and ferry services were also affected by floods and landslides.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an ‘orange bulletin’ for the state in view of the severe flood situation as 10 major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, were flowing above the danger level.

Shah dialled Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier in the day to take stock of the situation in the state.

“Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji called me a short while ago to enquire about the floods in Assam and has offered all possible assistance to deal with the ongoing situation,” the CM said in a post on X.

“I have briefed him on the measures being taken and we are grateful for his concern and support,” Sarma said.

A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said that in the wake of heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours and water flowing over the tracks on the Baraigram-Dullabcherra section, the Dullabcherra-Silchar passenger train, Silchar- Dullabcherra passenger train and Badarpur- Dullabcherra- Badarpur passenger train have been cancelled for two days.

The Guwahati-Dullabcherra- Guwahati train will be short terminated/short originated at/from Baraigram and remained cancelled between Baraigram and Dullabcherra till Tuesday, he added.

A portion of National Highway-17 has been overtopped near Shingra Shalnibari in Chaygaon area of Kamrup district since Saturday, officials said.

Heavy rain coupled with water flowing down from neighbouring Meghalaya has aggravated the situation in the area, they said.
Measures were being taken to facilitate traffic movement using alternative routes, they said.

Officials said ferry services between Jorhat and Majuli have been suspended with immediate effect due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra river.

The CWC bulletin said the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level in Dibrugarh and Nematighat (Jorhat).

Other rivers that have breached the danger mark are Dhaleswari at Gharmura (Hailakandi), Rukni at Dholai (Cachar), Katakhal at Matijuri (Hailakandi), Barak at Badarpur Ghat (Sribhumi), Buridehing at Margherita (Tinsukia), Kushiyara in Sribhumi, Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat) and Kopili at Kampur (Nagaon), it said.

An Assam State Disaster Management (ASDMA) bulletin had said that till Saturday evening, five people have been killed in landslides and three in floods.

Three districts in the western part of the state were on ‘red alert’ on Saturday and eight more on ‘orange alert’, as per Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) data, even as rainwater from upstream areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya worsened the flood situation in Assam.

Multiple agencies, including the NDRF, SDRF, police, fire and emergency services personnel were pressed into relief and rescue operations, with people evacuated to safety from flood-affected areas, the officials said.

The chief minister had said on Friday that the state was facing an abnormal situation due to incessant downpour caused by massive cloud cover over several parts of the northeast.