HOME
NATION
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
INTERNATIONAL
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ENTERTAINMENT
LIFESTYLE & FASHION
SPORTS
TRAVEL
NATIONBUSINESS & ECONOMY
INTERNATIONAL
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ENTERTAINMENT
LIFESTYLE & FASHION
SPORTS
TRAVEL
MORE STORIES Polling ends in Chhattisgarh with impressive turnout Group of Ministers formulate six-point strategy for peace in Orissa India's inflation drops further to 8.9 percent GPS systems can alert drivers of what routes to avoid It is not easy to be a special child: Hrithik Roshan Gill holds predecessors responsible for sorry state of sports Jet Airways appoints new general manager in Canada Friday dressing is fun, but no bermudas please! Will G20 take us out of the woods? Saudi Airlines to operate 19 Haj flights from Bangalore
© 2008-2010 Dmanewsdesk.com
- All Rights Reserved.
- All Rights Reserved.
One million hit by floods in Assam, situation critical
September 2, 2008
Guwahati, The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical Tuesday with an estimated one million people displaced and 15 dead, even as army soldiers were engaged in a massive relief and rescue mission, officials said.
"According to latest reports, 16 of the state's 27 districts have been hit by the floods. About one million people have been displaced and 15 are dead. The overall situation continues to be critical," Assam Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman told IANS.
A government statement Tuesday said 1,346 villages were hit by the floods, affecting a land area of about 2,69,609 hectares. The cumulative figures are from the first wave of floods that began May 28. This is the second wave of floods that began a fortnight ago.
"The worst hit districts are Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, and Morigaon where the situation is still very grim," Barman said.
The swirling floodwaters of the Brahmaputra river have cut a treacherous swathe across Assam breaching more than a 20 vital embankments, besides sweeping away road bridges and stretches of highways. Army soldiers in rafts and wooden boats, besides Indian Air Force helicopters, have rescued hundreds of people over the weekend in Kamrup district.
"Thousands of people are staying in makeshift shelters, with the government providing food and other essentials to the displaced people, besides healthcare facilities," the minister said.
A Central Water Commission bulletin Tuesday said the main Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were flowing above the danger level in at least 12 places with the trend likely to increase. The regional meteorological centre warned of more rains and thundery showers.
The 2,906 km long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers that traverse its first stretch of 1,625 km in China's Tibet region, the next 918 km in India and the remaining 363 km through neighbouring Bangladesh before converging into the Bay of Bengal.
Every year, the floods leave a trail of destruction, washing away villages, submerging paddy fields, drowning livestock, besides causing loss of human life and property, in Assam.
In 2004, more than 200 people were killed in floods in Assam.
"According to latest reports, 16 of the state's 27 districts have been hit by the floods. About one million people have been displaced and 15 are dead. The overall situation continues to be critical," Assam Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman told IANS.
A government statement Tuesday said 1,346 villages were hit by the floods, affecting a land area of about 2,69,609 hectares. The cumulative figures are from the first wave of floods that began May 28. This is the second wave of floods that began a fortnight ago.
"The worst hit districts are Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, and Morigaon where the situation is still very grim," Barman said.
The swirling floodwaters of the Brahmaputra river have cut a treacherous swathe across Assam breaching more than a 20 vital embankments, besides sweeping away road bridges and stretches of highways. Army soldiers in rafts and wooden boats, besides Indian Air Force helicopters, have rescued hundreds of people over the weekend in Kamrup district.
"Thousands of people are staying in makeshift shelters, with the government providing food and other essentials to the displaced people, besides healthcare facilities," the minister said.
A Central Water Commission bulletin Tuesday said the main Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were flowing above the danger level in at least 12 places with the trend likely to increase. The regional meteorological centre warned of more rains and thundery showers.
The 2,906 km long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers that traverse its first stretch of 1,625 km in China's Tibet region, the next 918 km in India and the remaining 363 km through neighbouring Bangladesh before converging into the Bay of Bengal.
Every year, the floods leave a trail of destruction, washing away villages, submerging paddy fields, drowning livestock, besides causing loss of human life and property, in Assam.
In 2004, more than 200 people were killed in floods in Assam.
Nation
Polling ends in Chhattisgarh with impressive turnout
New fund to restart Delhi's stalled infrastructure projects
India to launch a manned mission to space
Group of Ministers formulate six-point strategy for peace in Orissa
Polling begins on enthusiastic note in Chhattisgarh
Congress opts for wait and watch policy on Hindu terrorism
Inflation currently not a problem in India: Montek
DHL partners UNICEF to empower communities to improve child survival in Maharashtra
RSS, Bajrang Dal are not terrorist groups: Britain
BJP promises to make Delhi 'one of the best cities in the world'
J & K Poll will be full of surprises
ATS is torturing me, says Sadhvi Pragya
Elections were held under the gun in Kashmir: Mirwaiz
Kashmir voters brave chill, boycott to vote for better future
Bihar to improve governance with British help
Bal Thackeray compared with Gandhi, Shivaji in party mouthpiece
Raj Thackeray secures bail after arrest
Congress assesses damage by BSP in Delhi
Orissa government allows Hindu rally despite centre's objection
J & K Political Scene is changing for good