About 3.68 lakh people in 14 districts of Assam have been affected as the flood situation turned grim with the Brahmaputra and its tributaries — Desang, Dhansiri, Jiabharali, Beki and Puthimari — submerging vast areas in 791 villages.
Floodwaters have inundated about 70 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park, forcing animals to migrate to high grounds near the southern boundary across the National Highway 37. Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain introduced a time card system to keep a tab on speed of vehicles passing along the 54-km stretch of the national highway through Kaziranga to ensure the safety of straying animals.
About 50 per cent of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park has been inundated. Floodwaters have started entering the Pabitora wildlife sanctuary also.
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The Assam State Disaster Management Authority, in its Saturday report, said 9,161 flood-hit people had taken shelter in 17 relief camps. Floodwaters have so far damaged crops on 17,104 hectares.
Dhemaji district is the worst hit with 256 villages under water, affecting 88,000 people. A large number of them took shelter on embankments and Public Works Department roads. In Nagaon, about one lakh people have been hit in 79 villages while in Lakhimpur district 45,000 people have been affected in 110 villages.