Assam floods: CM Himanta Sarma's second visit to Silchar town; ensures earliest help to affected population
The current spate of flooding began on June 13 and has affected over 2.5 million people in 27 districts.
FollowAssam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paid his second visit, on Sunday morning, in four days to Silchar town in Barak Valley, saying the Cachar district administration and all other agencies involved in rescue and relief work in flood-affected areas are doing fantastic work.
Large parts of Silchar, the Cachar district headquarters and Assam's second-largest urban centre, have been under 5-8 feet of water since Monday, following the overflowing of the Barak River and a man-made beach on the Betukhandi embankment, about 6 km away, on Sunday, which caused large-scale flooding, as per residents.
"Under the current circumstances, which are unprecedented," Sarma, while talking to journalists in Silchar, said, "the Cachar district administration and all other agencies involved in rescue and relief have done tremendous work."
On Thursday, the chief minister conducted an aerial survey of the district and met with officials from three flood-affected districts in Barak Valley, Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi.
Sarma surveyed some flooded areas in Silchar on an inflated boat on Sunday and spoke with affected residents. Keerthi Jalli, the deputy commissioner of Cachar, accompanied the chief minister.
"I believe the situation in Silchar will gradually improve." According to Sarma, if no new rain falls, flooding in the town should subside in the next 48 hours.
According to state government officials, the current spate of flooding began on June 13 and has affected over 2.5 million people in 27 districts as of Saturday. On Saturday, four more people died after drowning, including two children, bringing the total number of people killed in floods and landslides since April to 122.
According to an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin, 233,271 people who the flooding had displaced were still taking refuge in 896 relief camps in 22 affected districts on Saturday.
There were nearly 110 of them in the Cachar district alone, with the district headquarters Silchar recording over 25,000 people in relief camps.
On Saturday, 175 boats and NDRF, SDRF, and Army personnel worked together to rescue 5,724 marooned people. Cachar district alone was responsible for 5,487 of those rescues.
As per officials, the water level in the Barak River at Lakhipur and Annapurna Ghat has risen above the danger level. On Saturday evening, the river flowed at 21.26 metres at Annapurna Ghat and 25.15 metres at Lakhipur.
While only 4 cm of water level drop was recorded on Friday, Barak's water level dropped 18 cm on Saturday. According to officials, the water level in Bangladesh is gradually decreasing due to floods.
According to district disaster management officials, the flood continues to affect over 280,000 people in Cachar, including nearly 73,000 children.
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