National highways and PWD roads have been severely damaged in 21 affected districts and continue to remain submerged in many areas affecting the supply of food-stuff and essential commodities.

Worst-hit Dhemaji district is facing acute scarcity of essential commodities as rail and road communication remain disrupted for more than three months. However, the water level of rivers Gai and Jiadhol flowing through the district is receding.

In the other affected districts of Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Jorhat, the flood situation has considerably improved though several thousands are still sheltered in relief camps set up by the state governments, the sources said.

In the severely-hit Bokakhat sub-division of Golaghat district, the water level of therivers is receding though several parts of NH-37 and all PWD roads on the northern side of the highway are still overtopped.

The water level of all the rivers of Morigaon district are receding and flowing below the danger level though communication on all vital PWD roads, specially in the northern and central parts of the district still remain disrupted. The situation in Darrang district has also improved considerably, sources said.

The flood situation continues to be, however, grim in Dhubri and Goalpara districts with several villages still submerged.

Dhubri's severely affected south Salmara sub-division is still in a critical condition with erosion continuing unabated and more than 1.5 lakh people still sheltered in relief camps. Road communication with the rest of the country remains disrupted.

In Goalpara, the situation remains grim with the affected people taking shelter in 172 relief camps and road communication still disrupted, the sources added. The death toll in the current wave of floodswas 156 with more than 45 lakh people affected in 5,150 villages.

A crop area of 2,88,900 hectares has been ruined, 23,343 houses damaged and 7,248 cattle lost, the sources added. The State government has set up 1,053 relief camps to provide succour to the affected people.