Dibrugarh: The flood situation in Assam remained critical on Saturday, with the overall death toll rising to 61 after 14 more flood-related deaths were reported in the latest Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) report.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the unprecedented flooding in Upper Assam was triggered by exceptionally heavy rainfall in Nagaland and parts of Assam, adding that tens of thousands of people in the worst-hit areas were still beyond the reach of rescue teams.
Of the 14 latest deaths, seven were reported from Charaideo, six from Sivasagar and one from Jorhat.
According to the latest flood bulletin, 7,05,148 people have been affected across 12 districts, while floodwaters have inundated 856 villages under 37 revenue circles. More than 56,606 hectares of cropland remain submerged.
PREMIUM STORIES FROM EASTMOJO
2000+ readers have backed us to keep journalism free. You can too.
SUPPORT US
Sivasagar continues to be the worst-hit district, with 3,48,555 affected people, followed by Charaideo (1,88,404) and Jorhat (1,26,793).
The affected districts are Golaghat, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Hojai, Nagaon, Biswanath, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Kamrup (Metro) and Karbi Anglong.
The report states that 363 relief camps and relief distribution centres have been opened across the affected districts.
Altogether, 1,15,205 people are taking shelter in relief camps, while relief assistance is being provided to more than two lakh people through relief distribution centres.
Meanwhile, the Dikhou, Disang, Dhansiri (South) and Kushiyara rivers continue to flow above the danger level, and rescue and relief operations are underway in the affected areas.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government had so far been unable to reach around 50,000 people in Nazira and another 30,000 people in Sivasagar because of the severity of the floods.
“Due to excessive rainfall in Nagaland and at the same time heavy rainfall in Charaideo district, flooding occurred in Sivasagar and Charaideo. So far, 10 people have lost their lives in Charaideo, while 21 people have been killed in the floods in Sivasagar.
Seven people are still missing and there is no trace of them. Six are missing from Sivasagar and one from Charaideo,” he said.
The Chief Minister said Mon, Mokokchung and Wokha districts of Nagaland, along with Charaideo district in Assam, received 435-493 per cent excess rainfall between July 18 and 19.
“The situation is very pathetic and dangerous. These districts have never witnessed such rainfall before. Normally, they remain unaffected by floods, but this time they suffered unprecedented devastation,” Sarma said.
He added that the death toll could rise further because communication breakdowns had delayed the flow of information from several affected areas.
“More than seven lakh people have been affected in these districts. The death toll may rise because we have not received reports from several places due to communication breakdown. It is one of the worst floods Assam has seen.
“There was no cloudburst in Nagaland. Excessive rainfall in the three districts of Nagaland flowed downstream into Assam, while Charaideo district also recorded exceptionally heavy rainfall, causing floods across Upper Assam,” he said.
Sarma said the rescue teams were making every effort to reach marooned villages and expressed hope that all stranded people would be reached soon.
“In some areas, airdropping relief materials has become difficult because floodwaters have damaged infrastructure. We tried using drones to deliver food, but it was not successful. We will speak with the Army’s Eastern Command and the Air Force and seek their assistance in the rescue operations,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said that more than 60,000 households remained without electricity after floodwaters damaged power infrastructure across the affected districts.
He said a central inter-ministerial team was scheduled to arrive in Assam on Saturday to assess the extent of the damage and evaluate the assistance required for relief and rehabilitation.
“This flood is different because we had no warning. On July 18, heavy rain started in Nagaland’s Mon district at around 3 pm, and by 7 pm parts of Assam were already submerged. Charaideo district also received exceptionally high rainfall. One elephant was washed away in the floods, but our team managed to rescue it,” Sarma said.
He also clarified that no hydroelectric power construction was currently underway in Nagaland and that the state government had no information about any such activity.
According to the latest flood report, five major rivers are flowing above the danger level. The Burhidihing at Chenimari (Khowang), Dikhou at Sivasagar, Dhansiri (South) at Numaligarh and Kushiyara at Sribhumi remain above the danger mark, while the Disang River at Nanglamuraghat is flowing above its highest flood level.
Meanwhile, residents in the worst-hit districts continue to struggle with the aftermath of the flooding.
“In Sivasagar, the floodwater has started to recede, but the problems remain the same. We have never seen such devastation in Sivasagar. This flood has taken away everything. We never imagined we would face such a situation. Our family has been shifted to a relief camp. The government has been providing relief materials, but they are not enough for us,” said Namul Gogoi, a flood victim.
The SDRF, NDRF, Army, Air Force and local organisations are continuing rescue operations across the affected districts, with thousands of stranded people rescued so far.
Also Read: Dear Sikkim, ‘Teesta Matters to me’ is not just another slogan
