GUWAHATI: The overall flood situation in the state showed some signs of improvement with water level in major rivers receding on Wednesday.
Floodwaters started receding at Kaziranga National Park, the only world heritage site on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. Only a small portion of the park is under water.
"Initially, some parts of the park were filled with water from the Brahmaputra. But now, it's drying up," a senior official said. He added that by this time the park should have experienced the full intensity of floods.
The ecology of the national park is dependent on the annual deluge.
In Majuli, too, flood situation had improved.
At least three lakh people were affected by the fresh wave of floods in seven districts of the state Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Baksa, Barpeta, Kamrup and Nalbari.
On the other hand, angry residents of Domerguri in Bongaigaon prevented workers from carrying out anti-erosion works after houses and large chunks of soil were washed away by the Ai river recently.
Although erosion stopped on Wednesday, residents alleged they had not receive enough relief materials from the state so far. The residents, who had shifted to safer locations or put up makeshift camps along the main road, resented the "slow" response of the government. Some residents also had to take shelter in a school, barely 50 meter from the erosion site.
The contractors who were entrusted to set up erosion mitigation structures were not allowed to enter Domerguri. On Sunday, district officials and village body representatives were chased away from the erosion site by angry residents.
"Every year we see the same drama of contractors starting work just before the rainy season. Lakhs of ruppees have been invested to erect erosion control structures. But where have the structures gone. We have lost all our patience this time," said Nani Gopal, a resident of Domerguri.
District officials conceded that tension had built up in the area following erosion by the Ai river, but claimed that the situation was under control.
"The erosion was so massive that it created some tension among the residents. But, now the situation is better and we have forwarded relief materials to the affected people," said Bongaigaon deputy commissioner, U Sarma.
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