Flash floods in Assam, 30,000 affected

Incessant rains in parts of Assam and the upper reaches of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh have caused flash floods in Sonitpur and Dhemaji districts, where nearly 30,000 people are affected.

Continuous rains for the last two days in Sonitpur district's Tezpur subdivision inundated vast riverine areas and damaged standing crops at Dalabari, Besseria, Parbatia, Panchmile, Koroiyani and Rajbharal, official sources said on Tuesday.

Fed by the rains in Arunachal Pradesh along its course, the Brahmaputra and its tributaries were rising alarmingly towards the danger level in the district.

Rivers Jiabhorali at Khalihamari and Gabharu near NH-52 with other major tributaries were also rising.

The overflowing waters of Brahmaputra and its branch rivers Borgang and Burigang submerged vast areas in Biswanath and Gohpur subdivisions, sources said.

Flooding the low-lying areas, the waters overtopped the National Highway linking Tezpur and North Lakhimpur at three places between Balipara and Gohpur.

In Dhemaji district, the rains caused river Subansiri's tributary Jiadhal to be in spate and flood adjoining areas in about 25 villages in west Dhemaji. The worst affected villages are Kesukhona, Nepalisuti and Rotua.

The situation in Dhemaji was compounded by breaching of a temporary mud dam for diverting water of the Subansiri built during construction of the Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Power Project.

The temporary dam regularly breaches during the rainy season when uprooted trees brought down by the Subansiri from

Arunachal hit against it and demolish the bundh, sources added.