Over 24 lakh affected as Assam flood crisis escalates

New Delhi: The flood situation in Assam has worsened with torrential rains affecting 24.5 lakh people across 30 districts in eastern India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah communicated with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to assess the flood conditions and stated that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are actively engaged in rescue and relief efforts for those affected.
Cachar, Kamrup, Dhubri, Nagaon, Goalpara, Barpeta, Dibrugarh, Bongaigaon, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Karimganj, and Tinsukia are among the districts affected.

Flood in urban areas of three districts of Kamrup (Metropolitan), Kamrup and Dibrugarh was also reported. So far, 52 people have been killed in this year's flood while 12 others were killed in landslides and storms. The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark in Nimatighat, Guwahati, Goalpara and Dhubri.

The Barak river is flowing above the danger mark in AP Ghat, BP Ghat, Chota Bakra and Fuletral, and its tributaries Dhaleswari in Gharmura, Katakhal in Matizuri and Kushiyara in Karimganj town. The flood in the Kaziranga National Park has claimed 114 wild animals while 95 were rescued till Saturday, an official said.

In Bihar, light to moderate rain was recorded in many districts since July 4, according to the latest bulletin issued by the water resources department. In East and West Champaran districts, people living in low-lying areas were shifted to safer places. "The incessant rain in certain districts in the state caused rivers and streams to overflow. The increased inflow also caused the water level in many dams to rise. Besides, incessant rainfall in catchment areas of Nepal has also led to rivers touching or flowing above danger level at several places," state officials said.

The Kosi river is flowing above the danger level in Supaul and its surrounding areas Basantpur while it touched the warning level in Khagaria and Beldaur on Friday, the report said. The Kamla river touched the warning level in Madhubani, Jainagar and Jhanjharpur. The Parman river crossed the danger level in Araria district on Friday, it said. The Gandak has jumped the red mark in Gopalganj and its Sidhwalia area.

In north India, at least 14 people died in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir as heavy rain battered the region. 13 people died in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh, which witnessed heavy showers in the 24 hours that ended at 6.30 pm on Saturday. The deaths were reported from Fatehpur, Raebareli, Mainpuri, Bulandshahr, Kannauj, Kaushambi, Firozabad, Pratapgarh and Unnao. Uttar Pradesh received an average of 18.3 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Of the 75 districts, 45 recorded excess rainfall. Shrawasti recorded the maximum rainfall at 65.5 mm.

In Jammu, a 30-year-old woman drowned as heavy overnight rain lashed parts of the region. Rozi Kouser's body was recovered from a stream in Keri Kangra in the Mendhar subdivision of Poonch district late on Friday.
Officials said the cause of her death was not known immediately known but the area had witnessed heavy rain and the woman might have slipped into the fast-flowing stream. Jammu city recorded the highest 69.4 mm rainfall, followed by 57.4 mm in Udhampur.

Heavy showers also lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh, including Kangra's Dharamshala and Palampur where rainfall levels exceeded the 200-mm mark. The Emergency Operation Centre said 62 roads were closed, 154 transformers were disrupted and 26 water supply schemes affected following torrential rain on Saturday evening. Dharamshala recorded the highest rainfall at 214.6 mm, followed by Palampur (212.4 mm), Jogindernagar (169 mm), Kangra city (157.6 mm), Baijnath (142 mm) and Jot (95.2 mm).

A woman suffered minor injuries when a boulder hit a moving bus near Kalath village in Sirmaur district, reports said. The Met office in Shimla has issued a 'yellow' alert warning for thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places till July 12.

In Rajasthan, Shahabad in Baran district recorded 195 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period as heavy rain continued to lash the state, Met officials said. Heavy rain was recorded at some places in Jaipur, Bundi, Kota, Tonk and Baran districts.

In Karnataka, despite heavy rain and floods in many regions, especially along the coastal belt, a hobli-wise rainfall report of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre said many regions had recorded less-than-usual rainfall. A hobli is a cluster of adjoining villages administered together in Karnataka. Four hoblis have recorded large deficits (over 60 per cent) during this southwest monsoon season and 117 recorded deficit rainfall (20 per cent to 59 per cent).

The report said Karnataka recorded an actual rainfall of 266 mm between June 1 and July 6 against a normal of 249 mm, placing the state in the 'normal' category for the southwest monsoon. Between July 1 and 6, however, Karnataka received 63 mm rainfall against 50 mm, a departure of 27 per cent from the normal, placing it in the 'excess' category.