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Brahmaputra breaks records, toll rises to 104

July 22, 2004 09:56 IST

A red alert has been sounded in Guwahati as the Brahmaputra was flowing at 51.43 metres against the previous highest of 51.37 in 1988 and several areas of the city inundated.

Flood fury continued unabated in Assam with the rising Brahmaputra breaking all previous records in the capital city of Guwahati, Goalpara, Nagaon and Cachar, while the death toll has risen to 104, official sources said in Guwahati

A red alert has been sounded in Guwahati as the Brahmaputra was flowing at 51.43 metres against the previous highest of 51.37 in 1988 and several areas of the city inundated.

In Goalpara, the Brahmaputra was flowing at 37.85 m, which was much higher than the earlier record of 37.43 in 1954.

The Brahmaputra and its tributaries also crossed its earlier records in Kampur and Dharamtul in Nagaon and Motizuri in Cachar while it was flowing above the danger level throughout the state.

An embankment was breached in Palashbari area in the outskirts of Guwahati, which has threatened the Lokopriyo Gopinath International Airport. Water has so far not entered the airport but several areas leading to it have been inundated.

The Dhubri district jail has been totally submerged and 192 inmates were safely evacuated to District Library.

More than one crore people have been affected by the current wave of floods while road and rail communication
across the state remains disrupted.

With one more death reported from Alubari in Lohit, one of the worst flood affected districts, toll in the current floods in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 11.

It is feared that the toll may go up as many families were reported missing in Chongkham circle of the district, official sources said

Chief Minister Gegong Apang accompanied by Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar, Relief Commissioner M K Parida today
undertook an aerial survey of the area in and around Tezu, headquarters of Lohit, which is cut off along with East Siang,
Anjaw, Lower and Upper Dibang valley, the sources said.

A total 1.5 lakh people have been affected by the floods in six districts, which comprise the four besides East Kameng
and Changlang.

Meanwhile, bus services from here to Guwahati have been cancelled today as flood water submerged the highway at
Naogaon and Mangaldoi in Assam. A private bus company representative told PTI that only one of its four buses plying
in the route route could reach its destination.

The state government has cancelled the leaves of all its employees in view of the flood situation. The order warned of
disciplinary action against those in police, revenue, medical, education and engineering departments if they were found
absent, the sources added.

 

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