GUWAHATI: Nearly 1.50 lakhs people have been affected by the first wave of flood that hit Assam on Wednesday, with six districts currently reeling under the deluge since monsoon hit the state early this month.The affected districts are Golaghat Karbi Anglong West , Biswanath, Karimganj and Hailakandi. Torrential rain in Bokakhat sub-division of Golaghat and neighboring Karbi Anglong East and West districts inundated large stretch of national high way 37 that passes along World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park, affecting movement of vehicles on the highway that forms a vital link with upper Assam districts.Situation in Bokakhat was aggravated by overflowing rivers from Karbi Anglong hills bringing down muck and gravels. Most of the rivers including the Difolu flow through Kaziranga before joining Brahmaputra on the northern side of park. Unabated cutting of hills for stone and sand extraction in Karbi Anglong districts triggered flow of muck and stones in large quantity down to the plains of Bokakhat.At Kohora, near Kaziranga, several schools were inundated prompting the authorities to send back the students to their homes.The State Disaster Response Force has evacuated altogether 124 persons from Karimganj alone, one of the worst affected districts where nearly 80,000 people were hit by the deluge. Also five persons were rescued from landslides at Nomjang and Topo Disa in Dima Hasao district. A portion of national highway 54 (Silchar-Haflong) was damaged at Boro Muolkoi in Dima Hasao.Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said 1,127.72 hectare of croplands in six districts went under water. ASDMA officials said Katakhal river in Hailakandi flowed above danger level on Wednesday.Over 10,000 people including 3,941 children from flood-hit districts have taken shelter in 71 relief camps.Flood in Karimganj and Hailakandi aggravated following the breach of deluge protection embankments.Kaziranga, which experienced one of the worst floods last year, has geared up though the authority said that the park has not been inundated yet.Forest minister Parimal Suklavaidya said vigilance on movement of animals including on poachers has been stepped up.“We already have in place the mechanism for dealing with flood. This time we also have set up several artificial highlands where animals can take shelter during high flood,” Suklavaidya said. End

Stay updated with all the Latest Guwahati headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.