GUWAHATI, March 4

GUWAHATI, March 3

Floods, over the years, may have shattered normal life in Dhemaji, but if the moves initiated by the district administration come to fruition, this natural calamity could well turn into a blessing in disguise for those distressed people.

Samudra Gupta Kashyap

GUWAHATI, SEPTEMBER 7: With the rain gods taking a holiday on Sunday after a gap of nearly a month, the overall flood situation in Assam looked slightly better though nearly 14 lakh people across the state continued to reel under water, with the Brahmaputra and several of its tributaries flowing above the red mark at several points.

33,700 people altogether, have been evacuated to safer places by the authorities with the Army providing vital back-up with manpower and equipment, while 20,350 people continued to be accommodated in 134 relief camps across the state.

Japanese encephalitis has broken out in different parts of Dhemaji district.

The overall flood situation in Lakhimpur district improved today with floodwaters of the Ronganadi, Singara, Dikrong and Kakoi receding to a great extent. However, the fresh announcement of the NEEPCO authorities to release water from the Ronganadi Hydel Power dam has sent alarm bells ringing in the district. Both Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts are cut off from the rest of the State for the fourth day today, as the about nine-metre deep breach in NH-52 at Ganesh Udyan is yet to be repaired.

The districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji and parts of Arunachal Pradesh have been totally cut off from the rest of the country following washing away of a portion of National Highway-52 by flood waters and it will take some time to restore road communication even as the flood situation in Lakhimpur district remained grave with as many as 11 breaches in the embankments. Talking to The Assam Tribune, Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner, Manish Thakur said that though the weather condition improved today, the situation remained grave today.

A press release stated that the rapid encroachment of forest land in the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary which is going on unchallenged by the local authorities is threatening to lay bare the wooded hills. This fact came to light when a team consisting of two members from Early Birds, an NGO, made a visit to the Khanapara Reserved Forest in the southern fringe of the city.