Guwahati: Assam’s flood toll rose to 11 on Tuesday after one more person died in Charaideo district, even as the flood situation remained grim, with more than 3.10 lakh people affected across 11 districts.The Central Water Commission (CWC) warned that the crisis could worsen over the next four days due to continued heavy rainfall.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 3,10,800 people in 758 villages across Biswanath, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts remained affected. The latest fatality in Charaideo took the flood-related death toll in the current monsoon season to 11.The situation remained particularly critical in Upper Assam, where the Dikhow and Desang rivers were flowing above the extreme flood level at Sivasagar and Nanglamoraghat, respectively, while the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat was in a severe flood situation. The Brahmaputra at Neamatighat in Jorhat and the Burhidihing at Khowang in Dibrugarh also continued to flow above the danger mark.The CWC forecast that the flood situation is likely to deteriorate further till July 23, with Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat expected to remain the worst-hit districts. It warned of severe to extreme flooding in the Dikhow, Desang, Dhansiri, Gelabil and other tributaries of the Brahmaputra, besides the Brahmaputra main stem.The CWC also sounded an alert for Lower Assam, forecasting above-normal to severe flooding in the Manas, Beki, Sankosh, Dudhnoi, Kulsi, Puthimari, Gaurang, Aie, Krishnai and Jingiram rivers, likely to affect Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Baksa and Barpeta districts over the next few days.Relief and rescue operations intensified across the state, with the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and local administration continuing evacuations in the worst-hit areas. According to ASDMA, more than 9,000 people were rescued so far using boats.The NDRF was deployed in Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat, while SDRF teams are operating in Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Morigaon, Hojai, Kamrup Metro, Kamrup, Nalbari and Barpeta.Authorities are currently operating 52 relief camps, sheltering 12,720 displaced people, while a crop area of more than 14,411 hectares remains submerged.Rail connectivity in Upper Assam continued to remain severely disrupted for the second consecutive day after floodwaters inundated railway tracks around Simaluguri in Sivasagar district.The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) suspended services on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections, besides cancelling, diverting and short-terminating several trains. To ease passenger inconvenience, NFR introduced additional special trains, which will run till Friday, while some express services between Mariani and Guwahati were restored.
