The dam is run by the North East Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO).
This is the second wave of floods since last week affecting 1,04,205 people in five districts -- Golaghat, Sivsagar, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Darrang. Over 93,000 marooned people are from the 116 villages of Golaghat, officials added.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said the floods have also affected 7,424 hectares of agricultural land and over 26,000 people have taken shelter in 123 relief camps opened by the state government. Large tracts of paddy fields are also covered with sediments affecting the farmers.
Various organisations, including the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), have criticised NEEPCO for releasing water without informing the villagers. They have demanded compensation for the affected people.
"The NEEPCO has not only released water from its reservoir but also sediments, which have submerged the paddy fields and houses of villagers in the 116 affected villages. The farmers have lost livelihood as the sediments have covered their paddy fields. Houses and livestock have been washed away," KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said on Monday.
NEEPCO on Monday clarified that due to incessant rain in the upper catchment area, the water level of the reservoir had started increasing abruptly since July 25.
"The sudden rise in water level on July 31 necessitated releasing of excess water," said NEEPCO in a statement issued on Monday. The NEEPCO authorities said they have shared the information with the Golaghat district administration.
Two waves of floods have affected Assam since June, affecting more than 10 lakh people. According to the ASDMA, 42 people have so far died due to floods in various parts of the state.
With death toll continuing to mount since Thursday night, the BJP government drew flak from the opposition Congress which accused it of being indifferent to the plight of victims and demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident saying "a tragedy of this magnitude has never taken place in Assam's history".
Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidya directed district officers to crack down on sale and production of illicit liquor. The state government has also banned the sale of 'lali gur' or red molasses used in production of the liquor, an official said.
Altogether, 22 people have been arrested in connection with the incident from the two districts, police said.
Several organisations, including the Asam Chah Mazdoor Union, took out a march in the tea belt of Golaghat on Monday to protest against the tragedy, and burnt effigies of Suklabaidya and Tea Tribe Welfare Minister Pallab Lochan Das.
A large number of labourers of two tea estates of Golaghat and Jorhat districts had fallen ill after drinking spurious liquor Thursday night. Twelve of them had died the same night.
At Jorhat Medical College Hospital, at least 78 persons died while undergoing treatment and 20 of them were brought dead. Currently, over 250 people are being treated there, they said.
In Golaghat, 55 people have died so far, while 57 are undergoing treatment at a civil hospital.
Meanwhile, condemning the incident, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi demanded a CBI inquiry into the episode, saying that "a tragedy of this magnitude has never taken place in Assam's history".
"The state government should have claimed responsibility for the deaths and called for an all-party meeting to discuss the issue," he added.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had ordered an inquiry into the incident by Upper Assam Division Commissioner Julie Sonowal on Friday.
The CM, along with Health Minister Himanta Sarma, has also reviewed the condition of victims undergoing treatment at the Jorhat hospital.
On Saturday, he announced a monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those who fell ill.
This is the second major hooch tragedy in the country within a fortnight. At least 70 people had died in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand after drinking spurious liquor earlier this month.