Assam floods: Governor says more casualties, more areas affected this year

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Tuesday said there have been more casualties this year in floods and large swathes have been affected.

Officials said that 72 people died in the deluge as of July 8.

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Floods have devastated Assam leaving millions displaced, causing extensive damage to roads and infrastructure.

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"A flood-like situation more or less persists in Assam every year... People are always prepared for this situation because the region is always prone to floods owing to the Brahmaputra river and other smaller rivers," Governor Kataria told reporters after arriving at the Jaipur airport.

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The Assam Governor is on an official visit to Jaipur.

The Brahmaputra River runs through the northeastern state.

"This time there have been more casualties and more area has been affected... People cooperate with the authorities and support the efforts of the administration in dealing with such situations...," he added.

Meanwhile, 137 wild animals, including six rhinos, have died in the Assam floods at Kaziranga National Park, officials said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the park authorities have managed to rescue 99 animals, including two rhino calves, and two elephant calves.

70 forest camps out of 233 camps in the park have been submerged.

Across 28 districts, over 27.74 lakh people have been displaced in the deluge.

The flood affected districts are Goalpara, Nagaon, Nalbari, Kamrup, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, South Salmara, Dhubri, Jorhat, Charaideo, Hojai, Karimganj, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Golaghat, Darrang, Biswanath, Cachar, Kamrup (M), Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Chirang, Karbi Anglong West, Majuli.

Rescue teams of the NDRF, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, local administration, Indian army, and paramilitary forces are all engaged in rescue operations in different areas of the state.

The severe flood situation in Assam over the past month has resulted in the loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure, road closures, crop destruction, and livestock loss. The deluge has also left hundreds of people homeless and unsettled.