GUWAHATI, July 16 � Nearly one lakh people in the two Upper Assam districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji have been affected by the current wave of flood, official sources said. In Dhemaji district, the authorities set up two relief camps to shelter 650 flood victims of Jonai Sub-division, while 20,000 flood victims of Lakhimpur district have been sheltered in several relief camps. However, no case of flood-related drowning has so far been reported from any part of the State.
Official sources said that a total population of 33,468 has been affected by the current wave of flood in 68 villages of Jonai and Dhemaji Sub-divisions of Dhemaji district by the floodwaters of Lali and Brahmaputra (Jonai) and the Jiadhal (Dhemaji).
The district administration has pressed into service one engine boat and seven country boats for relief and rescue operations. The engine boat belongs to the District Disaster Management Authority. The disaster management authority has kept three more engine boats, along with three rubber boats ready for the purpose of meeting a bigger eventuality, said the sources.
However, due to the cessation in rainfall activities, the rivers of the district showed a receding trend today, added the sources.
In Lakhimpur district, 65,300 people have been affected by the current wave of flood in the 65 villages of the three revenue circles of North Lakhimpur, Naoboicha and Bihpuria, sources said.
At the time of filing at this report, news of the floodwaters inundating several villages under the three revenue circles of Halem, Tezpur and Gohpur in Sonitpur district and 25 villages under Teok Revenue Circle in Jorhat district have also been received.
Our Jonai Correspondent adds: Surging waters of Jiadhal River, which caused flash floods in vast areas of West Dhemaji, is reportedly receding this afternoon. Of course, the worse affected villages � Kechukhana, Lowmuri, Misamari, Naruathan are still submerged in flood water.
The flash flood in Jonai, which started on Thursday night, inundated 19 riverine villages of at Bahir-Jonai area, besides affecting the people, also beat down about 500 hectares of standing crops.
Sources from Civil Administration today informed that food relief items � including 87 quintals of rice, 15 quintals dal and 5 quintals of salt besides 219 tarpolin � have been distributed among the affected families in Jonai sub division.
Jonai Circle Officer Sadan Sarkar, who is monitoring the flood situation, informed this evening that overall flood situation is improving.
