Water from Bhutan reservoir worsens Assam flood situation

Excess water release from Bhutan's Kuricchu Hydropower Plant flooded seven western Assam districts on Thursday even as the death toll from the floods rose to 76 in the state.

Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Thuesday said that the release of escess water from the reservoir in Bhutan worsened the flood situation in Barpeta, Nalbari, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and South Salmara districts.

"Around 34 lakh people in 2,753 villages are affected by floods. The affected villages are in areas of Dhemaji, Darrang, Baksa, Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Cachar districts," an ASDMA official said on Thursday.

There are 833 relief camps operational in the districts of Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat and Jorhat districts housing 1,95,159 inmates, they said.

Besides, 102 relief distribution centres in the districts of Lakhimpur, Darrang, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Kamrup, Morigaon and Sivasagar are operational.

Meanwhile, the Brahmaputra is flowing above danger level at Neamatighat in Jorhat and Dhubri, while Jia Bharali river is in spate at Sonitpur. The Puthimari river is flowing above danger level at Kamrup while the Manas and Beki rivers are also flowing that level in some points of Barpeta district. IANS