Assam flood situation remains critical, over 11.5 lakh people affected

The death toll in this year's floods, landslides and storms in Assam has increased to 48

A woman and her child carry bamboo sticks in flood affected area, in Morigaon on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ANI

Assam continues to grapple with a severe flood crisis, affecting 11.50 lakh people across 23 districts, as the water level of major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, flowing above the danger mark, an official report said.

The death toll in this year's floods, landslides and storms has increased to 48.

On July 2, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Golaghat district following a breach of embankments, inspected flood-hit areas, interacted with the suffering population and held meetings with officials to provide relief and rehabilitation to people reeling under the deluge.

Mr. Sarma is scheduled to hold a cabinet meeting on Wednesday to review the flood situation prevailing in the various districts.

The current second wave of floods have affected Barpeta, Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Tamulpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.

Flood-affected people use a makeshift raft to shift their lamb to a safer place following heavy rains at the Patiapam village in Nagaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam, India, July 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Lakhimpur is the worst hit with over 1.65 lakh people suffering, followed by Darrang with more than 1.47 lakh people and Golaghat with almost 1.07 lakh people reeling under floodwaters, the report said.

The flood scenario in Kaziranga National Park is also critical with vast tracts of forests inundated and a baby rhino drowning in floodwaters.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the situation in the park and directed the authorities to take adequate precautions, including regulation of vehicular traffic on the national highway, to ensure that wildlife is not harmed.

The civil administration, SDRF, NDRF, Emergency Services and Air Force are engaged in rescue and relief operations in different parts of the state.

More than 2.90 lakh people have taken shelter in 490 relief camps set up by the various district administrations.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by floodwaters in most of the affected districts, the report added.