Guwahati, June 13: The flood situation in Assam remained grim today, with over 3.7 lakh people affected by the deluge in 614 villages of 15 districts.
According to the flood bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) here issued this evening, over 1.5 lakh people were newly affected by flood across the state in the past 24 hours.
Altogether 1,780 people in Goalpara, Tinsukia and Sonitpur districts have been provided shelter in 11 relief camps.
The situation deteriorated in the lower Assam districts of Barpeta, Goalpara and Kamrup districts as a result of heavy rains in the past 12-hours, sources said.
A source said the water level of major rivers in lower Assam surged following heavy rains in the hills of neighbouring Bhutan.
Barpeta remained the worst affected district with 247 villages still submerged.
The other affected districts are Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Kokrajhar, Tinsukia, Darrang, Nalbari, Jorhat, Kamrup (metro), Baksa, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Goalpara and Morigaon.
The ASDMA bulletin said the Brahmaputra in Neematighat of Jorhat and in Dhubri districts was flowing above the danger mark.
The situation, however, is unlikely to improve at least in the next 48 hours, given the Indian Meteorological Department's forecast of heavy rainfall in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Three persons have drowned in Baksa, Bongaigaon and Lakhimpur districts in the first wave of floods so far.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, in a video conference with the deputy commissioners today, instructed them to ensure that the flood-affected villagers were provided shelter, food, water and medicines.
Sources said Gogoi asked authorities to arrange boats in the worst-affected districts and take the help of the National Disaster Response Force.
"The district administration is being provided flood warnings daily, based on the rainfall data we are receiving from the Met department about rain in our neighbouring states and Bhutan," said a source.
It has issued early warnings of floods in Goalpara, Darrang and Dibrugarh districts following a rise in water levels of at least nine rivers due to heavy rain.
People in many areas of Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Morigaon, Baksa and Sonitpur were having a tough time despite a dip in the water level because of breaches along roads, embankments and bridges.
Many bamboo bridges were washed away. Sources said the state water resource department would submit a detailed report about the condition of embankments.
Over 50 villages in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, bordering Arunachal Pradesh, remained inundated today. The two districts witness serious floods almost every year.
