Assam: Flood alert sounded for Brahmaputra river due to heavy rains following Cyclone Amphan
Over 30,000 people and 9,800 animals have been affected by floods in 127 districts of Assam.
The Central Water Commission on Tuesday sounded a flood alert for the Brahmaputra river for Neamati Ghat, Jiabharali in Jorhat and Sonitpur districts in Assam, the Hindustan Times reported.
The commission said that the water level of the river rose by two centimetres every hour on Monday, Guwahati Plus reported. The Jia Bharali River at Sonitpur and Puthimari River in Kamrup were also flowing above the danger mark.
Parts of Assam and Meghalaya have been receiving extremely heavy rainfall since May 20, after super cyclone Amphan weakened. The India Meteorological Department has also warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
“The district-level rainfall data is being compiled, but parts of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have received extremely heavy rains in the past five days, which is likely to continue for another three days at least,” National Weather Forecasting Centre head K Sathi Devi told the Hindustan Times. “Southwesterly moisture-laden winds are converging from the Bay of Bengal in the region. The rains aren’t likely to recede immediately.”
Meanwhile, over 30,000 people and more than 9,800 animals have been affected in 127 districts in Assam due to heavy flooding caused by incessant rain, The Indian Express reported. These districts are Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Darrang and Goalpara. Around 579 hectares of crop land is also under water.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority has set up 33 relief camps in the Goalpara district providing shelter to around 9,000 people. “Waters will rise but the situation is not very bad till now,” Assam State Disaster Management Authority Project Coordinator Pankaj Chakravarty said. “All rivers aren’t flowing above danger levels. It is only when all rivers flow above danger level that we have something to worry about.”
Given the coronavirus outbreak raging around the country, including in Assam, people evacuated to relief camps in Goalpara are being screened for high temperature and other symptoms of the coronavirus. If found to be suffering from these symptoms, they are being put into self-quarantine.
Assam has so far reported 526 cases of Covid-19 so far, including four deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. On Monday, it recorded its highest day spike of 134 cases.
