Guwahati: Heavy rainfall on Monday morning, July 20, caused severe waterlogging in several parts of Guwahati, affecting roads and residential areas as Assam’s flood situation continued to worsen, with over 1.70 lakh people impacted across 12 districts.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported urban flooding in multiple locations under Kamrup Metropolitan district, including Zoo Tiniali, Sonkuchi, Beharbari, Panjabari, Hatigaon, Sijubari, Ghoramara, Rukminigaon, Bormotoria, Beltola Tiniali, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Chandmari, Maligaon, the Lokhra-Odalbakra Road and the Jatia-Kahilipara stretch.
To tackle the waterlogging problem, authorities have installed dewatering pumps at key areas such as Anil Nagar, Rukminigaon, Rajgarh Road and Lachit Nagar to remove stagnant rainwater.
According to the latest ASDMA bulletin, floodwaters have affected 1,70,327 people across 580 villages spread over 30 revenue circles in 12 districts – Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri.
Around 10,362.9 hectares of cropland remain submerged, although no new flood-related fatalities were reported in the latest assessment.
Relief and rescue efforts have been stepped up in the worst-affected regions. Six teams of the 12th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), involving 186 personnel and 24 boats, have been deployed in Sivasagar and Charaideo. Meanwhile, two teams from the 1st Battalion NDRF, with 60 personnel and 10 boats, are engaged in rescue operations in Jorhat. SDRF teams have also been deployed in Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) reported that five major rivers were flowing above the danger level on Monday morning. The Brahmaputra at Neamatighat, Burhidihing at Khowang, Dikhow at Sivasagar, Disang at Nanglamuraghat and Dhansiri at Numaligarh remained above the warning mark, increasing concerns over further flooding amid continued rainfall.
The ASDMA said authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation and continuing relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.