Guwahati(Assam), June 24 : The flood situation in the state was critical on Friday with with 45.34 lakh people reeling under the deluge, reported news agency PTI.
Aoording to the report the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers along with their tributaries are in spate, even as floodwaters started receding from a few areas.
The toll rose to 108 with seven deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
The situation in Silchar, considered ‘Gateway to Barak Valley’, is alarming with most areas still under water.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that it has further expedited rescue and relief operations with additional resources deployed in the severely affected districts, especially Cachar where Silchar is located.
Eight NDRF teams with 207 personnel were brought in from Itanagar and Bhubaneswar, while an Army team with 120 members was sent in from Dimapur along with nine boats for the operations in Silchar.
Additionally, two CRPF and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were airlifted to Cachar,
The state government has started a helpline — 0361-2237219, 9401044617 and 1079 — for the situation in the district.
Nearly 3 lakh people have been affected by an acute shortage of food, clean drinking water and medicines as almost the entire Silchar town is submerged in flood waters.
Food packets, water bottles and other essentials are being dropped by Air Force helicopters.
The three districts in the valley — Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj — were severely affected by the rising waters of the Barak and Kushiara.
The worst-affected district is Barpeta where 10,32,561 people are suffering, followed by Kamrup where 4,29,166 people have been hit.
The devastating floods, caused by incessant rainfall, have affected 103 revenue circles and 4,536 villages. A total of 2,84,875 people have taken shelter in 759 relief camps across the state, the report said.
The flood also damaged 173 roads and 20 bridges, while two embankments each were breached in Baksa and Darrang districts.
In all, 10,0869.7 hectares of crop area has been flooded. Largescale erosion has been reported from Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang and Dhubri districts, among others.
Meanwhile PM Narendra Modi has said that the Central Government is continuously monitoring the flood situation in Assam and is working closely with the State Government to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge.
Over the last few days, parts of Assam have witnessed flooding due to heavy rainfall. The Central Government is continuously monitoring the situation in Assam and is working closely with the State Government to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2022
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said;
“Over the last few days, parts of Assam have witnessed flooding due to heavy rainfall. The Central Government is continuously monitoring the situation in Assam and is working closely with the State Government to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge.”
“Army and NDRF teams are present in the flood affected areas. They are conducting evacuation operations and assisting those who are affected. The Air Force has conducted over 250 sorties as a part of the evacuation process.”
“CM @himantabiswa, Ministers of the Assam Government and officials are working round the clock in the districts and helping those who have suffered. I pray for the safety and wellbeing of all those in affected areas and once again assure all possible support.”
