Guwahati: More than 30,000 people in the state of Assam have been affected by the first wave of monsoon floods, an official said on Monday. The floods have damaged at least 18 of the state's 31 districts.
Although no deaths have been reported, however several bridges and roads have been destroyed or washed away due to the rising water levels.
Many river embankments have also suffered damage.
While this is going on, the Guwahati regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted 'very heavy' to 'extremely heavy rainfall' in many districts till Thursday.
On Monday, 'heavy rainfall' (over 20cm in 24 hours) was predicted for the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta, and Bongaigaon by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) of IMD in Guwahati.
'Heavy' to 'very heavy' precipitation is forecast for the regions of Dhubri, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Nalbari, Dima Hasao, Cachar, Goalpara, and Karimganj. The RMC has issued a 'Orange Alert' for Tuesday and a 'Yellow Alert' for the next two days.
According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), monsoon floods have affected lives in Biswanath, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur, Tamulpur, Udalguri, Cachar, and Kamrup districts.
Floodwaters are making life miserable for 30,729 people in 444 towns. Some of them had to leave their homes and go to relief camps.
Seven districts have already set up 25 relief camps, while the rest of the districts have been directed to maintain them ready by the state administration.
Three locations in Biswanath, Nagaon, and Nalbari all have partially damaged embankments, as per the ASDMA report.
PWD roads, schools, government buildings, houses, and other structures have been damaged or destroyed in 11 districts, including Kokrajhar, Darang, Goalpara, and Nalbari. Repairs are being made to the damaged embankments, according to the authorities.
This year's flood has so far inundated more than 4,741 hectares of cropland, affecting more than 16,700 livestock. Farmers expect to lose a wide range of crops.
The persistent rainfall caused erosion in many parts of the state. The Metro districts of Dima Hasao, Karimganj, and Kamrup have all experienced landslides. However, transportation networks such as highways and trains have not been disrupted as of yet.
Six districts, including the Cachar and Kamrup Metro areas, have experienced urban floods. Authorities believe that clogged drains caused by the improper disposal of plastic trash into sewers are the primary cause of water logging.—Inputs from Agencies