Floods ravage Assam; Kaziranga national park inundated

From the air the whole of upper Assam ravaged by floods unleashed by the Brahmaputra, resembles a vast sheet of water pockmarked by a few tree tops, thatched roofs atop which marooned people waved to draw attention as the Indian Air Force helicopter whizzed past.

The sweeping floods have also left much of the state's pride, the Kaziranga National Park, submerged. Although it is spread over 400 square km area, it is virtually impossible to locate it from the air. Park authorities said about 90 per cent of it was beneath several feet of water.

Although there has been some let-up in the rains the situation remains grim, with nine out of 10 upper Assam districts affected by floods that displaced nearly a million people.

It took barely 10 minutes, after the IAF chopper took off with Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on board, to have the first glimpse of flood-ravaged Assam.

In the Morigaon district, paddy fields were submerged under waist-deep water. The situation was slightly better in Nagaon district with only low-lying areas were flooded.

In Golaghat, only the tea estates and the adjacent hills of Kabi Anglong remained unaffected. The Majuli island seems to be the worst affected in Jorhat district. Not a single road was visible from above and country boats were the only medium of transport for the 150,000 people of this, the biggest river island in the world.

The floods ran beyond, from Dibrugarh to Chapakhowa, the eastern-most part of Assam adjacent to Arunachal Pradesh. In Sadiya, the gushing streams changed course frequently, leaving behind scores of massive uprooted trees indicating that the destroyer had shifted to a nearby places.

The situation was worst at Dhemaji district where for the flood water covered everything for miles together.

The Brahmaputra has already flooded vast stretches of catchment areas, beside the low-lying areas. Though the situation could worsen, the lower Assam state administration, noting that, for the moment, the floods are beginning to recede, is hoping things will improve soon.

EARLIER STORY:: Brahmaputra crosses danger mark