Death toll in Assam floods reaches 82

The flood situation in Assam remained grim with the toll touching 82 yesterday, following the death of one more person in Barpeta district.

A population of 21.68 lakh of 1,716 villages in 56 revenue circles of the state is affected by the deluge.

Besides Barpeta, the 17 other affected districts are Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Cachar, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

At present, 615 relief camps, sheltering over 99,000 people, are being operated in 12 districts.

Forty-nine relief distribution centres are being run in five districts, the ASDMA said.

The rivers flowing at the danger level are the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat (Jorhat) and Dhubri, the Desang at Nangamuraghat (Sivasagar), the Jia Bharali at N T Road Crossing (Sonitpur), the Puthimari at N H Road crossing (Kamrup), the Beki at Road Bridge (Barpeta) and the Kushiara at Karimganj (Karimganj), it said.

Devastating floods have also killed more than 200 wild animals -- including 17 threatened one-horned rhinos -- in Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

The Unesco-listed heritage site is home to the world’s biggest population of one-horned rhinos and draws thousands of tourists from around the world each year.

But it has been stricken by the floods, and as the waters start to recede workers fear the animal toll will rise.

Rangers and volunteers rescued 69 stranded animals -- including three rhinos and an elephant -- but some had since died at a rehabilitation centre, park officials said.