GUWAHATI, June 17 - On the fifth day of the first wave of floods today, a total of 4,48,495 people remains flood affected even as the death toll has risen to nine.
A total of 673 villages in six districts � Hojai, Cachar, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Karimganj and West Karbi Anglong � have been hit by the floods so far.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood bulletin, five more persons -- one from Karimganj, one from Hailakandi and three from Cachar - have lost their lives today in the floods, taking the toll to nine.
The floodwaters have hit cropland in Nagaon and Morigaon districts.
�The Brahmaputra at Neamatighat (Jorhat), the Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat), the Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing (Sonitpur), the Kopili at Kampur (Nagaon), the Barak at AP Ghat (Cachar) and Badarpurghat (Karimganj), the Katakhal at Matizuri (Hailakandi), and the Kushiyara at Karimganj (Karimganj) are still flowing above danger level,� it said.
Embankment breaches have been reported in six places in Hojai. In Karimganj, a natural embankment breach occurred at three points in Longai river while two more such incidents have been reported by the Executive Engineer, Water Resource Division, Karimganj, where public cut out the embankment themselves.
NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams have been pressed into service in the flood-affected areas for search and rescue operations.
A total of 6,153 people were rescued in from Karimganj district, Hailakandi, and Cachar by SDRF and NDRF personnel today. Two hundred and thirty-five camps are operational in Karimganj, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong (West), Hojai and Cachar districts, sheltering 1,73,245 inmates. A total of 246 relief distribution centres are also operational in the Hojai, Cachar and Karimganj districts.
