Army on alert as floods displace 600,000 in India's northeast*

GUWAHATI, India, July 28 (AFP) Jul 27, 2007

Indian army soldiers and civil rescue teams remain on standby in
north-eastern Assam state as flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon
rains displaced 600,000 people, officials said Friday.

"The overall flood situation is grim with all the rivers and their
tributaries in spate," Bhumidhar Barman, Assam's revenue, relief and
rehabilitation minister, told AFP.

"We have asked the army and other security and civil agencies to be on
standby."

A government statement said 600,000 people were hit by the floods in 12
of Assam's 27 districts in the past week.

The district worst hit by floods was eastern Dhemaji where authorities
Friday evacuated nearly 30,000 people and warned others to leave their
homes as the regional weather office predicted more downpours in the
next 24 hours.

Food, water and medicines were being distributed to the affected people,
Dhemaji district magistrate D.N. Mishra said by telephone.

Assam water resources minister Bharat Narah said all preventive
measures, including the strengthening of dykes and embankments, were
being taken.

Floods due to rains in 2004, claimed least 200 lives and displaced more
than 12 million people.