Devastating floods in north Assam districts of North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur have so far taken lives of 17 flood-hit, besides causing misery to over eight lakh people.

Official sources said North Lakhimpur district had been worst hit by the flood that had been caused after breach in embankments by at least three major rivers where water-levels swelled due to incessant rains in catchments in Arunachal Pradesh.

Over 600 villages in five revenue circles of in North Lakhimpur district have been affected. The Army has been pressed into action in evacuating marooned people in the worst affected district.

All important rivers in north Assam including Ranganadi, Pichola, Singora, Dikrang and Dropang are in spate inundating huge tracts of land and large number of villages on their banks. Offical sourcs however claimed that the death toll due to drowing in flood waters was only eight so far.

People and NGOs from the flood-hit areas allege that two coffer dams of NHPC's Lower Subansiri hydel project was breached under the pressure of rising water of the rain-fed river and inundated vast tracts of land on in north Assam. Water over topped the dam of under construction Ranganadi project of the NEEPCO.

The government said that it would send a fact-finding team to Arunachal Praesh to verify the allegation of release of excess dam water from the hydro-power projects without any warning.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visited the worst affected North Lakhimpur district.

A 25-meter stretch of the National Highway 52 was washed away by swirling flood waters in North Lakhimpur district cutting the district off from the rest of the state by road. It will take about a fortnight to restore communication along the breached portion of the National Highway.