Update | 10 more die in India's Assam floods, toll rises to 134

At least 10 people have been killed in the floods in Assam over the past 12 hours, pushing the number of deaths to 134 since April when overflowing rivers began to inundate large swathes of land in the state. The latest round of floods, which began on August 10, has seen the death of 49 people.

Officials said on Wednesday night, three children were killed in Dhubri district, while two persons died in Morigaon. Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Barpeta, South Salmara and Nagaon districts reported the death of one person each. Assam State Disaster Management Authority officials said major rivers such as the Brahmaputra, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, Beki and Kushiyara were flowing above the danger mark in various places.

Majuli, the world's largest riverine island, continued to face threats from the surging Brahmaputra and Subansiri. The island, which is the seat of Assam's Vaishnavite culture, is represented by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the assembly.

The CM's office tweeted that Sonowal has urged officials of the Brahmaputra Board to set up a major upstream project in Majuli and engage more manpower to tackle the situation arising out of the floods. Later, Sonowal himself tweeted, "Asked NHIDCL (National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited) to start repairing works of National Highways as soon as flood recedes & engage quality contractors and experts for the same." He added, "A National Conference will be organised in September at Guwahati to find out effective measures for taming the mighty Brahmaputra."

Twenty-eight families of Salmara were shifted to safer places following heavy erosion on Thursday.

(TOI)