Following the devastation in Bihar, Assam is the latest state to suffer extensive flooding as the Brahmaputra and other rivers breach their embankments

A fortnight after the river Kosi changed its course, devastating large parts of Bihar in north India, heavy monsoon rains have sparked flash floods and submerged up to 1,200 villages in eight districts of the northeastern state of Assam. More than 520,000 people have been displaced.

Flood waters of the Brahmaputra have submerged 60% of Kaziranga National Park, the last refuge of the one-horned rhinoceros, forcing the endangered animals to take shelter on highlands inside or flee to safer areas across National Highway 37 that passes through the park.

The flood situation on the Majuli river-island in upper Assam’s Jorhat district is reported to have turned critical during the day, with flood waters breaching the main Auaniati-Kamalbari road at three places early in the morning.

Movement of vehicular traffic along National Highway 31 in lower Assam -- the lifeline of all the seven northeastern states -- was suspended for the second consecutive day on Monday, September 1, as a 4-km-long portion of it was still under knee-deep water due to breaches in the Puthimari embankment.

The flood situation in the state remained critical with the Brahmaputra, the Barak and their tributaries flowing above the danger mark at 12 places. Fourteen people have been reported drowned in separate incidents over the past fortnight.

According to a Central Water Commission bulletin the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level all along its course.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati has forecast more rains during the next 48 hours in Assam.

Manik Kar, who is associated with the Centre for Disaster Management at Tezpur University, attributed the worsening of the flood situation in Assam over the years to an increase in the intensity of rainfall and the absence of a proper flood management system.

Meanwhile, activists of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) blocked 20 Assam Rifles trucks carrying relief material to Bihar, in Jorhat town. They also disrupted the loading of flood relief bound for Bihar at the Guwahati railway station. The activists alleged that though lakhs were affected by the flood in Assam, no special relief measures were being initiated like they were in Bihar.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in Bihar remains grim. In Madhepura, people waiting for food packets looted a storage depot after the officer guarding the depot tried to impose restriction in food distribution.

Officials at the camp say people were just not willing to wait. With flood-hit areas facing a shortage of supplies, their patience is fast running out. “We are all running around hungry and all we are facing are atrocities and beatings. How is a man supposed to deal with that,” asked a flood victim.

The Centre has announced a Rs 1,000 crore relief package for Bihar and the army is aiding rescue and relief operations. There were hopes of some relief as the Kosi river, after wreaking havoc for over two weeks, merged with the Ganga causing a slight drop in water levels in flood-hit areas of north Bihar on Monday, September 1.

Water resources officials monitoring the situation near Kusaha dam said there was a clear decline in the level of water in the Kosi after it found its way to the Ganga near Kurusela.

Source: The Hindu, September 2, 2008
            The Economic Times, September 2, 2008
            http://www.ndtv.com, September 2008
            http://www.patnadaily.com, September 2008