8 more die in Assam floods, toll since May rises to 46

GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam remains critical, with eight more deaths reported in the past 24 hours, increasing the total flood-related fatalities since May to 46.
The number of people affected has increased from 11.34 lakh in 28 districts on Tuesday evening to 16.25 lakh in 29 districts on Wednesday evening, as reported by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Sonitpur district has confirmed two deaths, while Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Darrang, Golaghat, Biswanath and Tinsukia districts have reported one fatality each.
Despite a slight improvement in some parts of upper Assam, water levels of the Brahmaputra and the Barak and their tributaries remain above the danger level.
The Central Water Commission has issued a flood advisory for several lower Assam districts where the Brahmaputra was flowing at a “severe situation” on Wednesday noon. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed hope that if the rain subsides, the flood situation will start improving in the coming days.
According to the ASDMA report, 2,800 villages in the state are currently flood-affected, with 105 revenue circles facing deluge.
2.23L hit by floods in Dhubri district, highest across state
Dhubri district in lower Assam has the highest number of people affected at 2.23 lakh, followed by Darrang district with 1.83 lakh and Lakhimpur with 1.66 lakh. The ASDMA reported that a total of 25,744 inmates are taking shelter in relief camps, while 3.61 lakh non-camp inmates are in relief distribution centers.
Rescue efforts are underway, with disaster management agencies, local authorities, the Army, NDRF, and paramilitary forces working together to rescue marooned people from the flood-affected districts. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said several ministers have been assigned to camp for three days in the affected districts starting Thursday to ensure immediate relief and rehabilitation for the affected population.
The floods have also taken a toll on wildlife, particularly in Kaziranga National Park, where 11 wild animals have died so far in this second wave of floods, while 65 others have been rescued.
A total of 173 out of 233 forest camps in Kaziranga have been inundated, and nine others have been vacated due to heavy flooding.
The Regional Meteorological Centre of IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rain in Meghalaya on Thursday, while heavy to very heavy rain is expected in isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur. Heavy rain is also likely to occur at isolated places over Mizoram and Tripura.