GUWAHATI: Ferry services on river Brahmaputra in Guwahati have been temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure due to a sharp rise in water levels.
“Today, we have decided to temporarily shut the ferry services keeping in view the water levels,” a senior official at Inland Water Transport told GPlus. “Especially, in the Umananda Temple side, water currents are quite strong.”
“We are closely monitoring the water levels. As and when we see the water levels recede, we will resume the services,” he added.
Privately-owned ferries had already been asked by the inland water authorities to not operate during the Amubachi Mahayog days, apparently to avoid mishaps.
Meanwhile, the Assam government has issued a high alert across several districts following reports of heavy rainfall and flash floods in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, which are expected to trigger a rise in river water levels downstream over the next one to two days.
Extremely heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Subansiri district has led to flash floods and a significant increase in river discharge, raising concerns for several districts in Assam.
Data from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati, and the Meteorological Centre, Itanagar, showed that Yazali in Lower Subansiri received around 72.8 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. A large portion of the rainfall occurred between 6 AM and 9 AM on June 24, causing flash floods in the upper catchment areas
The Assam government warned that the resulting flood wave is expected to affect Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath and Sonitpur districts first before moving further downstream through other parts of the state, eventually reaching Dhubri.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed officials to remain on maximum alert and ensure all preparedness measures are in place. The Chief Secretary has also instructed district administrations and line departments in potentially affected areas to maintain close vigilance and take preventive measures.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other emergency response agencies have been kept on standby for deployment if required.