Assam flood situation remains grim, 41 dead
GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam continues to remain grim with 10 of the districts affected while 10 more deaths reported from five districts, taking the number of human casualties in the current wave of the flood to 41 so far, even as Assam government has issued instructions to affected districts to ensure seamless supply of essentials to the flood-hit.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) sources informed on Wednesday night that three deaths each have been reported from Sivasagar and Jorhat districts; two deaths from Charaideo, while one death each have been reported from Dhemaji and Karbi Anglong districts.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sivasagar district had reported the highest number with 14 deaths, followed by six deaths in Charaideo, five in Jorhat, two each in Golaghat and Dhemaji and one each in Sonitpur and Karbi Anglong districts.
A population of over 6.40 lakh in 889 villages remain affected by the floods with a crop area of 24891.66 hectares lying submerged, an updated report of ASDMA informed on Thursday afternoon.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is on a visit to four flood-affected districts of Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat, informed on Thursday that Union home minister Amit Shah called him to inform that an inter-ministerial central team would visit the state in a day or two.
“A short while ago, I received a call from Union home minister Amit Shah. In view of the unprecedented flood situation in Assam, he informed me that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team will soon visit the state to assess the extent of the damage and help determine the central assistance required for rebuilding livelihoods,” Sarma informed.
“The flash floods, triggered in the affected districts by a cloudburst upstream in Nagaland, have wreaked havoc on the lives of our people. So far, 41 persons have died in the calamity even as over 60 persons are reported missing,” the chief minister said.
Multiple agencies, including the NDRF and SDRF, are engaged in operations to evacuate and rescue flood-affected people. So far, 8459 persons have been evacuated by boats. Relief camps have been opened and essentials distributed among affected families. Helplines have been opened for the affected districts.
ASDMA has been issuing advisories from time to time round-the-clock, alerting people on the weather patterns and rise in river levels.
“Due to continuous increase in the water levels of River Dikhow in Sivasagar district and River Dhansiri (S) at Numaligarh in Golaghat district of Assam, residents are advised to stay away from the river,” the latest advisory issued on Wednesday midnight, read.
Meanwhile, Assam chief secretary Ravi Kota on Wednesday reviewed the current flood situation of the Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts and the preparedness of the various line departments of the Government of Assam Thursday.