The flood situation in Assam is getting dire again. About 5.65 lakh people in 12 districts of the state are currently affected by the floods and the death toll has risen On Wednesday, July 22, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma visited the worst-hit districts of Sibsagar and Charideo. During this period, he announced that the government would provide immediate one-time assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each person who lost their lives in the floods.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 21 people died in the state in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 31 this year. Among the recent deaths, four women and two children, 13 from Sibsagar, five from Charideo, two from Golaghat and one woman from Jorhat. More than 5.64 lakh people in Biswanath, Charideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Shivsagar and Tinsukia districts were affected by the floods. The floods affected more than 3.6 lakh people in Sibsagar district, 88,000 in Jorhat and 72,500 in Charideo.
The chief minister visited the flood-hit areas on Wednesday and told reporters that the flood has caused extensive damage in the state. He assured the affected families that they are not alone during this crisis and the government is taking every step for their relief, rehabilitation and restoration of their livelihood. However, the Chief Minister admitted that relief did not reach many flooded villages due to disruption of road connectivity. He said that it is not possible to reach the people who are stuck at home due to lack of transport. He promised that the administration would enter those areas as soon as the water receded and clarified that there was no shortage of relief materials in the government camps.
The chief minister visited a relief camp in Charideo and assured to shift critically ill people to hospitals and said the government would take steps to recover important documents lost in the floods. The flood situation has deteriorated rapidly since Monday night. At present, 273 relief camps and relief distribution centers have been set up in 10 districts where 12,284 people are taking shelter. Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Fire Brigade, Police and Civil Administration have rescued more than 6,000 people from Charideo, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sibsagar in a joint operation. In the last 24 hours, the administration distributed 5,011.07 quintals of rice, 956.53 quintals of pulses, 265.18 quintals of salt and 20,115.42 liters of sweet oil among the flood-affected families.
The floods inundated 872 villages in the state, destroyed 24,210.35 hectares of agricultural land and damaged over 1.85 lakh cattle and poultry. Dams, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have also been extensively damaged in various districts. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a yellow warning for heavy rains with lightning and thundershowers in Assam for the next four days. The water level of the Brahmaputra is currently above the danger mark at Niyamatighat and Dikhou in Sibsagar and Dichang in Nangalmuraghat have crossed the maximum flood level, further raising concerns about the overall flood situation in the future.
