Assam floods: Toll rises to 87; 24 districts affected, over 1 lakh hectares of crop area damaged

Guwahati/Kokrajhar: There was no improvement on Tuesday in the grim flood situation in Assam as the toll rose by two to reach 87, while 24.19 lakh people in 24 districts are affected, a government report said. According to the daily flood bulletin by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person died at Raha in Nagaon district and another at Morigaon town, taking the toll in the devastating floods to 87. The ASDMA report said that at present 2,323 villages across Assam are under water and 1.10 lakh hectares of crop area has been damaged. Besides, landslides triggered by the rains and the floods have claimed 26 lives so far this year, it said. The flood-affected districts are: Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Cachar. The ASDMA report said the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks in Dibrugarh, Dhubri and Goalpara cities, besides at Nimatighat in Jorhat and Tezpur in Sonitpur districts. Its tributary Dhansiri is flowing above the danger mark at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, Jia Bharali river at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur, Kopili river at Dharamtul in Nagaon district, Beki river at Road bridge in Barpeta and Kushiyara river at Karimganj town. Embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and many other infrastructure have been damaged at various places in Udalguri, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Kokrajhar and Dibrugarh districts, the report said. Massive erosion has been witnessed at different places of Majuli, Baksa, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts, it added. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited the erosion hit areas of Tulsijhara village near Hagrama bridge in Chirang district on Tuesday and assessed the devastations caused by Aie river. He also visited two flood relief camps set up in schools by Chirang district administration and interacted with the inmates to take stock of the government services being provided to the affected people. He told reporters that the floodwaters of Aie river have devastated huge tracts of agricultural land and affected large number of people in both Chirang and Bongaigaon districts. Sonowal assured prompt steps by the state government for a lasting solution to flood and erosion by Aie. To a query on floods in Assam caused by swollen rivers in neighbouring Bhutan, the chief minister said that the Centre will take up the matter with the government of that country for an early solution to the issue. Stating that he has visited various flood affected districts for a first hand understanding about the damages caused by the deluge and the quality of services rendered by the district administration to the affected people, he said that the local authorities are taking expeditious measures for helping them. People on their part have extended their full cooperation, he said. Sonowal said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has made sincere efforts to find a permanent solution to the flood and erosion problem of Assam. Last night, the chief minister had taken stock of COVID-19 and flood situation in Chirang, Bongaigaon and Goalpara districts in a meeting with senior district officers, sources said. A total 397 relief camps and distribution centres have been opened in 18 districts where 44,498 people have taken shelter currently, the ASDMA report added.