Assam flood crisis: death toll climbs to 64, wildlife losses in Kaziranga

Approximately 23.9 lakh people across 3,535 villages have been affected, with more than 50,000 seeking refuge in shelters statewide.

Dhubri is the worst-hit district, where over 7.95 lakh people are grappling with inundation, followed by Cachar and Darrang, each affecting over 1.50 lakh people.

Major rivers such as the Brahmaputra and Barak are experiencing high water levels from Jorhat to Dhubri.

Rescue operations underway at Assam amid floods. (PTI photo)

Meanwhile, the Barak River was flowing above the danger mark at AP Ghat, BP Ghat, and Kushiyara in Karimganj town.

Additionally, rivers like Burhidehing, Dikhou, Disang, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, and Sankosh have breached critical levels at different locations.

The floods have submerged approximately 68,768.5 hectares of crop area.

In Kaziranga National Park (KNP), recent floods have led to the deaths of 114 wild animals, including 6 rhinos, marking one of the worst flood-related animal mortality in years for KNP.

One-horned rhinos at a flood affected area inside the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, in Morigaon district, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)

The plains of Assam have also been adversely affected in the past week due to the release of excess water from several critical dams located upstream: namely, the Ranganadi and Subansiri Lower dams on the Assam-Arunachal border, the Doyang dam in Nagaland, and the Kurichu dam in neighbouring Bhutan. Additionally, the concretisation in the state capital Guwahati’s bowl-shaped lowland terrain has exacerbated the inevitability of floods in the region.

A herd of cattle moves through a flood affected area, at Kuchiani in Morigaon district, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Despite the devastation, there is a glimmer of hope as the situation has begun to improve since July 2, with expectations that water levels will start receding in the coming days, according to a senior official from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah contacted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to assess the flood situation, emphasising that the NDRF and SDRF are working urgently to rescue and provide relief to those affected.

The Regional Meteorological Centre of the IMD reported that Assam received 12% higher than normal rainfall in June and predicts moderate rainfall across most parts of the North East over the next five days, with heavy to very heavy rain likely in isolated areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya.