The flood situation continues to be grim in Assam with Upper Assam districts remaining cut off from the rest of Assam as flood waters have submerged National Highway 37.
According to official report, the surging waters have inundated over 4,000 villages affecting over 46 lakh people in 30 districts of Assam.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority officials said that 15 people have died due to flood and landslide (two in landslide) related incidents in past one week.
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The surging flood waters have submerged the National Highway 37 at Bokakhat snapping the road communication with Upper Assam districts and with the rest Assam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday telephoned chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured all support from the centre to bail the state out of the scourge of the situation.
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Sonowal apprised the Prime Minister of the large-scale devastation that the flood has had on the people and economy of the state.
Sonowal also said that he has asked the state ministers and all public representatives including MLAs to extend their helping hands to the victims of flood and involve themselves in the rescue operations by being themselves beside the affected people.
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On being asked, Sonowal informed the Prime Minister that flood control mechanisms including 24X7 control rooms have been pressed into service with state government officials are on duty manning the control rooms round the clock.
Health department, Public Health Engineering (PHE) department have been asked to respond to health related issues and provide medicines and clean drinking water.
Veterinary and Animal Husbandry department has been asked to take care of the marooned animals and keep adequate fodder stock ready for the stray animals of Kaziranga National Park and other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured all help, support and cooperation from the Centre to help Assam government to bail out the situation and asked Chief Minister to undertake relief, rescue and rehabilitation measures on a war footing.
In Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, the flood waters have affected about 90 per cent of the area of the park.
“Some of the animals of the Park are taking shelter in the highlands within the park and many are migrating to the southern highlands of Karbi Anglong crossing the National Highway 37,” a senior park official said adding that out of the 199 anti-poaching camps inside the park, 155 have been submerged.
“The staff members and security personnel are performing their duties using mechanised and country boats round the clock to deal with any kind of eventualities,” he said.
The park official also added that there are six cases of animal death due to speeding vehicles so far.
“Teams for rescue operation of distressed animal, as per necessity, are kept in readiness. The Special Rhino Protection Force personnel have also deployed in vulnerable locations of the park,” the official said.