Guwahati, July 8: A deer died in the flash flood which hit the Kaziranga National Park as thewater level of the Brahmaputra continued to rise following heavy rainfall at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. As floodwaters began inundating vast areas of the park, animals started escaping to the adjacent Karbi Anglong hills. A forest guard camp, Debashree, was evacuated. Several other camps were also readied for evacuation in case the situation worsened.
The Brahmaputra is flowing one metre above the danger level in Dibrugarh and about 75 cm above at Neemati here. Major tributaries of the river are also rising at several places.
According to forecasts by the flood control department, the river will rise another 20 cm in Dibrugarh and 30 cm in Jorhat in the next 24 hours.
Today, Pasighat recorded 144 mm rainfall, the highest this year. Continuous rain in the area presages widespread floods in upper Assam. Floodwaters also inundated vast areas in Majuli.
The overall flood situation along the Assam-Arunachal border remained grim with incessant rain lashing both states and several new villages in Sonitpur district being submerged.
All communication with East Kameng have been cut off. An official said more than 4,000 people have been rendered homeless. Sources said there has been an alarming and constant rise in the level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries in all the districts of upper Assam.
Sonitpur is the worst affected. Hundreds of revenue villages have been cut off from the rest of the state. Crops worth several lakhs have been damaged by the surging Jiabhoroli in Samdhora, Nepaligaon, Rangachukua and Morisuti.
The caretaker chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Gegong Apang visited the flood-hit areas along the border and distributed relief materials. A thousand quintals of rice and a sum of Rs 5 lakh have been sanctioned for the flood victims.
The MLA of Sootea, Praneshwar Basumatary, and the deputy commissioner of Sonitpur district also visited the affected areas of the district. Alleging that there was a shortage of food at the relief camps, Basumatary demanded that the government send enough food and relief materials.
The joint director of health service, Sonitpur, has alerted all the health officials on the possibility of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.