Assam Floods: Situation remains grim, death toll rises to 82, NDRF team to rescue
Over the last week, the state has been hit by devastating floods, affecting 47,72,140 people in 32 of the 36 districts.
FollowAssam's flood remained dire, with all major rivers in spate, affecting over 47 lakh people and claiming 11 more lives, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to inquire about the situation, officials said.
Over the last week, the state has been hit by devastating floods, affecting 47,72,140 people in 32 of the 36 districts.
According to an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin, the death toll from this year's floods and landslides has risen to 82.
Darrang had three new fatalities, Nagaon had two (police officers washed away while attempting to rescue stranded people), and Cachar, Dibrugarh, Hailakandi, Hojai, Kamrup, and Lakhimpur had one each.
Two people were reported missing in Udalguri and Kamrup, and one in Cachar, Darrang, and Lakhimpur.
"Since this morning, Hon HM Shri @AmitShah Ji has called twice to inquire about the flood situation in Assam. He stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs would soon send a team of officials to assess the damage caused by the natural disaster. I am grateful to HM for his assistance," On Monday, Sarma tweeted.
According to sources in the Chief Minister's Office, Amit Shah's first call was to inquire about the flood situation, and his second was to inform the chief minister that a central team would soon be dispatched to the state to assess the damage.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Assam Chief Minister to inquire about the situation and assured him of the Centre's full support.
Debabrata Saikia, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly, requested from the Prime Minister a central package of at least 20,000 crores for relief and rehabilitation work in flood-damaged areas over the last three to four years.
He urged the Centre to declare the state's flood and erosion problems a national calamity.
Meanwhile, Sarma convened a virtual meeting with state ministers, senior officials, and district deputy commissioners to assess the flood situation.
The chief minister stated that additional NDRF teams from neighbouring states Manipur and Tripura will be brought in to help relief and rescue operations in Barak Valley.
Sarma stated that he was in contact with his Meghalaya counterpart about restoring vehicular traffic on the Jowai-Badarpur road, which floods and landslides had severely damaged.
Meanwhile, the North East Frontier Railways (NFR) has announced that trains carrying relief supplies, such as petroleum, diesel, and medical supplies, will be dispatched to the affected areas.
The devastating floods caused by nonstop rain have affected 5,424 villages, with 2,31,819 people seeking refuge in 810 relief camps.
People who had not sought refuge in such camps also received assistance from 615 centres.
According to officials, the Kopili, Brahmaputra, Puthimari, Pagladia, Beki Barak, and Kushiara rivers are all flowing above the danger level.
On Monday, urban flooding was reported in Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Goalpara, Kamrup (Metropolitan), and Karimganj, and landslides occurred in the districts of Kamrup and Karimganj.
A total of 1,13,485.37 hectares have been affected, and 5,232 animals have been washed away.
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