Guwahati, July 8: There was marginal improvement in the overall flood situation in Assam, but the situation remained critical as eight more people died in six districts on Sunday while around 23 lakh people have been affected in 28 of the state's 35 districts, officials said.

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials, over 24.20 lakh people in 30 districts had been affected till Friday.

ASDMA officials said that two people each drowned in Dhubri and Nalbari districts while one each died in Goalpara, Cachar, Dhemaji, and Sivasagar districts.

With Sunday's deaths, the toll has climbed to 66 with many people dying due to landslides and other calamities in different districts since the monsoon began early last month.

ASDMA officials said that the flood water also inundated over 68,432 hectares of crop area in 3,446 villages under 28 districts while over 15.63 lakh domestic animals have also been badly affected by the monsoon.

Out of the 28 flood-affected districts, Dhubri, Morigaon, Cachar, Darrang, Dibrugarh, and Barpeta are the worst-hit.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Neamatighat, Tezpur, and Dhubri, while Burhidihing, Dikhou, Disang, Dhansiri, Kopili, Beki, Sankosh and Kushiyara rivers are near the danger level in many places.

ASDMA officials also said that the district administrations have set up 630 relief camps to provide shelter to over 53,689 people, while 361 more relief distribution centres are functioning in different districts.

Several teams of the National and State Disaster Response Forces accompanied by volunteers of various NGOs have also been deployed for the rescue and relief operations.

Like in previous years, a vast area of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) has been submerged and park authorities have intensified efforts to rescue the animals and to prevent poaching.

KNPTR Director Sonali Ghosh said that so far, 96 wild animals have been rescued while 129 animals, including deer, rhino, and hog deer, have drowned in flood waters.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is regularly reviewing the flood situation in the state, visited the Kamrup district on Sunday and met affected people and local officials. Later, Sarma told the media that the government's focus is to find a national solution to the Assam flood unlike those who only want to declare it a national problem.

"In 2004 there were 400 embankment breaches while today we have only four such breaches. We are working on a permanent solution. Government working to find a long-term solution to flood in Assam," he said.

--IANS

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