Rising Brahmaputra waters threaten Guwahati, Kaziranga

MIGHTY FURY

Guwahati: The rising waters of the Brahmaputra are now posing a threat to the capital city of Assam. About 600 families in the city have already been hit by the second wave of floods as the swelling Brahmaputra waters inundated the city's western part. Guwahati lies on the southern bank of the river. 
    The second wave of floods has hit 14 districts in the state and over five lakh people have been affected till Sunday. The death toll in the floods has also increased to five after two children drowned in Sivasagar district on Sunday. 
    In the city, water from the Brahmaputra entered Pandu area in a reverse flow through two drains and inundated several places leaving hundreds of families marooned. The state health department has already shifted five pregnant women from the Greater Pandu area to the nearby First Referral Unit (FRU) at Maligaon. 
    The current wave of floods in Assam has also taken a toll on animals in the state's national parks. Altogether, eight animals have been killed in Kaziranga National Park and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The first wave of floods in the state in April-June had claimed the lives of 631 animals in Kaziranga. 
Imphal tense after blast 
Imphal: Tension gripped the Kwakeithel area along the Airport Road in Imphal after a powerful improvised explosive device, believed to have been planted by rebels, exploded around 12.30 pm on Sunday. No one was injured in the blast. 
    Militants had also triggered a grenade explosion near the residence of a government engineer on Friday night, damaging the roof of his outhouse. Rebels launched bomb attacks on security forces since September 5 in Imphal Valley, killing an Assam Rifles jawan and injuring 10 central security personnel. TNN