Assam floods: 108 people dead, more than 50 lakh affected in 32 districts

The flood situation in Assam continued to remain grim on Thursday as seven more people have lost their lives in this disaster.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has conducted an aerial survey of Silchar city which is badly affected by floods. Floods have affected 45.34 lakh people in 30 districts.

The Chief Minister reviewed the flood situation in the Barak Valley region and announced that more troops would be sent to Silchar to rescue the people trapped in the floods. “NDRF, SDRF, Army, other agencies are carrying out rescue operations. But more troops will arrive tomorrow to rescue the trapped people,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The number of people affected by floods in 32 districts on Wednesday was 54.5 lakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Centre is continuously monitoring the flood situation in Assam and is working closely with the state government to provide all possible assistance to meet the challenge.

“Army and NDRF teams are present in the flood-affected areas. They are carrying out rescue operations and helping the affected people. The IAF has carried out more than 250 flights as part of the rescue operation,” PM Modi said. Meanwhile, 108 people have died since mid-May, with two deaths each in Cachar and Barpeta, one each in Bajli, Dhubri and Tamulpur districts.

The Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries are in spate in most of the affected districts. However, the flood water has receded in some places. Four districts of Barak Valley, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi are severely flooded. The Barak and Kushiyara rivers are flowing above the danger mark, affecting more than six lakh people.

Officials said that the situation in Barpeta is the worst where 10,32,561 people have been affected by the floods. 4,29,166 people have been affected in Kamrup, 4,29,166 in Nagaon, 3,99,945 in Dhubri. Meanwhile, summer vacations have been declared a week in advance in schools in the state due to floods. Now, it will be from June 25 to July 25 instead of July 1 to July 31.