After a brief respite, Assam is bracing for another round of floods, with four more districts hit by the deluge in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of affected districts to nine. As a result, the number of people overnight more than doubled to over 35,000 on Monday.
The central water commission stated in its flood bulletin that the Brahmaputra river and its eight tributaries are rising. The trend for the Brahmaputra in Tezpur has been predicted by the central agency by Tuesday. The Puthimari, Pagladiya, Beki, and Sankosh rivers are also expected to rise in the next 24 hours, according to the forecast
On Monday evening, the Pagladiya and Beki rivers in lower Assam were flowing above the danger level, while the Brahmaputra was flowing above the warning level in Neematighat and Tezpur, according to the commission.
The IMD has also issued a warning for thunderstorms with lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall to moderate rainfall in most areas of the northeast until Friday.
The flood has affected the districts of Bajali, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Tamulpur, and Udalguri, according to the Assam state disaster management authority.
The threat of new floods looms large at a time when the Centre and state governments have recently started rebuilding the state and lives of those affected by the most devastating floods, which hit in two waves between April and July.
These two waves claimed a record of 195 human lives and over 54,000 cattle, with an additional 37 people reported missing. These two flood waves have been classified as a severe natural calamity.
