by Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Monsoon’s first floods have partially submerged Kaziranga. Floods have taken a scary turn in the area. A number of villages have come under the devastating floods. There has also been loss to property. Breaking of the sluice gate has been suspected to be the reason behind these floods. The intense rain from Tuesday night has led to the accumulation of water in the villages. Schools located at low lying areas are mostly affected leading to dismissal of classes. With the rains still continuing, the locals fear terrible circumstances. The sluice gate at the Diring River which had not been opened, had led the excess water to flow towards the nearby villages. Reportedly, hundreds of heavy vehicles have been blocked at Kohora in Kaziranga due to the floods and will only be released after the flow of the flood waters become less risky.With the onset of monsoon, flood fury starts in Assam. Due to incessant rainfall and thundershowers, many parts of the state are reeling under flood since Tuesday. Bokakhat, Karimganj and Kaziranga have been affected due to the flash flood. Landslides have also been reported in some parts of Assam. The NH 37 has submerged under flash flood water due to continuous rainfall for the last 24 hours in the Bokakhat Sub-Division in Golaghat district resulting into disrupting communication. Around 10 villages in Bokakhat Sub-Division have been affected in the flash floods so far. “Many houses were washed away due to the incessant rainfall and flood. It has also affected livestock in several villages,” said a flood victim in Bokakhat Sub-Division. In Kaziranga, though flash flood has inundated a portion of the Kaziranga National Park, no reports on animal casualties have been received till now. As per reports, schools and villages in Kohara are affected by the flood. “Our condition is extremely bad,” said a teacher in Kaziranga. However, the situation is tense in Hailakandi. An overflowing Katakhal river has inundated several villages in the district and also damaged one embankment. Over 30 villages affected so far. As per the Deputy Commissioner, Karimganj, Pradip Kumar Talukdar the unprecedented flood in Mizoram has affected the neighbouring district. On the other hand, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it has deployed its search and rescue teams in eight districts of Assam to ensure prompt response during floods. Flood rescue teams have been deployed in flood-prone areas such as Cachar, Tinsukia, Sonitpur, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Dhemaji and Kamrup (Metro) districts. Due to “an upper air cyclonic circulation over south Assam and Meghalaya and the neighbourhood”, Assam is going to experience “enhanced rainfall”, as per the India Meteorological Department’s widespread rainfall forecast. It may be mentioned that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 480.87 crore for the state as flood relief for 2018-19. Monsoon has already hit Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and North East, and will move up north from Maharashtra.