By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati :The situation of flood in Assam’s Barpeta district, caused by incessant rains, has worsened following reported release of excess waters from the hydro power dam on Kurishu river in Bhutan. According to reports, rain and dam waters have inundated a huge area in the district. The Pathsala sub-divisional civil hospital has been submerged by flood waters and the patients have been shifted to the Dharamshala.All the wards of Pathsala town have been affected by flood waters. Most of the roads and residential areas have been submerged by unprecedented flood. On Tuesday, river embankments in several parts like Maharani, Kenduguri and Kologuri have been washed away by river Pahumara creating havoc in the area. The office premises of APDCL, PWD, Irrigation, Bajali HS School, Pathsala MV School, Pathsala College, Tapoban (a child care home) and a number of business establishments and other offices have been affected in the current wave of flood. The classes of various educational institutions have been cancelled due to the devastating flood. Heavy rains and dam waters have also affected Mathanguri and adjacent areas.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Army personnel have been engaged in rescue operation in various places under Bajali sub-division in Barpeta district. The SDRF and Army teams have been continuing rescue operations in Pubkolahguri, Santipur and Dolegaon areas. The administration has been working in war footing manner to cope up with the disaster. A high level meeting was also held on Wednesday in the Barpeta deputy commissioner’s office to discuss the present flood situation of the district and the preparedness to cope up with the situation. Various villages situated alongside the 127 Pathsala-Bhutan connecting National Highway have been affected in the flood. The fisheries have been totally affected by the flood. Many residential areas in the locality have witnessed waist-deep waters. People have been shifted to safer places. Continuous rains for the last two days again deteriorated the flood situation, which started to improve, with washing away of embankments of river Kaldia in various parts of Akaya and Uluwa. Flood waters are flowing above roads in many parts. The villagers in Akaya, Uluwa and surrounding areas are passing days with fear. Flood waters are also are posing threat to the road connecting the historic Bhogeswar Temple. Waters are flowing over the Swahid Madan Rowata road in a number of places which has disrupted the surface communication. Flood waters have partially submerged the Swahid Madan Rowta PWD Road at Golaghat chowk of Nityananda, Bichankuchi, Kurobaha in Akaya area which connects Patacharkuchi with Jalah Simla and Bhutan. The Kurobaha-Saderi connecting road has also been submerged by flood waters. Flood waters have also created havoc in Akaya Nanda Supa, Saransupa, Dakshin Hati, Milar Chowk, Bayan Supa and Medhi Supa.

The handloom centre situated at Nityananda has also been submerged by flood waters. The locals have informed that the embankment of river Kaldia has been breached in five places due to which a large area has been affected. Red alert has been sounded by the Barpeta district administration as massive flood has wrecked havoc in the district after reported release of waters from Kurishu dam of Bhutan. Following the red alert, fear-psychosis prevails in various parts of Bajali sub-division of Barpeta District. During the high-level meeting held in the deputy commissioner’s conference hall, the district administration decided to shift the people from the riverside of Pahumara and other rivers of the district to safer places. Following report of more waters to be released in Bhutan side on Thursday at around 2.30 am, the people are passing sleepless night. Meanwhile, A unit of the Indian Army engaged in flood relief and rescue operations on Wednesday rescued 150 stranded civilians, including 60 women and children in Assam’s Nalbari district.Khongsai also informed that the rescue operation was carried out at Balitara village in Nalbari district as the villagers got stranded in their flooded houses.The area was flooded due to breach in embankments of Pagladiya river. “The well-equipped flood relief column of the Indian Army was mobilised immediately,” informed the defence PRO.The flood relief column undertook a massive operation to rescue and evacuate the 150 villagers to safety, he added. “The Army jawans operated under heavy downpour, dangerous currents and alarming water levels,” he claimed. Khongsai further informed that the Indian Army has so far established 152 monitoring stations across the state considering the ongoing flood situations. “A total of 95 flood relief columns have already been pressed into service in different parts of the state and additional 31 columns are being kept as a reserve,” he said.

“The relief columns are also well equipped with sophisticated boats and lifeguards,” Khongsai said. He added that the Army units engaged in flood rescue operations have so far rescued over 4,000 marooned people. He said that the Army has also provided medical aid to over 5,500 people while the Veterinary unit of the Army provided aid to 1100 animal stands.The overall flood situation of Assam’s Dhubri district has again turned worse after flood waters submerged new areas of Dhubri and Bilasipara sub-divisions. The flood situation in the district deteriorated again following heavy rains during the past 48 hours. In Bilasipara sub-division, nearly 500 people have so far been rescued and shifted to safer places during the rescue operation launched jointly by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).Over 400 villages of district are still under flood waters while more than 32,000 people of 8 blocks have taken shelter in different relief camps. According to the Dhubri District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the flood waters have submerged over hundred new villages in the district.Apart from Dhubri district, the flood waters have also submerged several new villages of neighbouring Kokrajhar district since July 23. The water level of the river Brahmaputra at Dhubri is flowing above the danger level at 29.39 metres. The danger level of river Brahmaputra in Dhubri is 28.62 metres.

The water resource department said the water level of river Brahmaputra is likely to increase. The water level of river Gauranga at Bilasipara is also flowing above the danger level and the flood waters have inundated several new villages including the National Highway 31. As precautionary measures, the district administration of Dhubri has restricted movement of heavy vehicles across the NH 31 near the Sankosh bridge in Bilasipara of Dhubri district. Ananta Lal Gyani, deputy commissioner of Dhubri, visited the Bilasipara sub-division and took stock of the situation. As per a DDMA report, nearly 16 important roads connecting the district have either been submerged or washed away in several places due to heavy flow of flood waters. According to information, during the search and rescue operation, total 506 flood affected people have been rescued and shifted to safer places in Dhubri district. Total 326 flood affected people including 73 males, 113 females and 140 children have been shifted from Abirkuthi and Futkibari to Simlabari. A total of 73 flood affected people including 25 males, 30 females and 18 children have been shifted from Alengmari near Lokhiganj to LakIganj PWD Road. A total of 59 marooned people including 12 males, 24 females and 23 children have been shifted from Namabarshi under Udmari Gaon Panchayat to Tilabarshi. On the other hand, a total of 48 flood-hit people including 14 males, 14 females and 20 children have been shifted from Diabari and Hakama near Gaurang bridge to the NH-31 at Hakama.