Assam flood: Over 4 lakh hit, Amit Shah assures assistance

GUWAHATI — The flood condition in Assam remained grim on Sunday, with over four lakh people hit by the deluge across nine districts, even though water levels started to recede, an official said.

So far, three persons have lost their lives in this year’s first wave of flood in different parts of the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) official said.

According to an ASDMA report, over 4,07,700 people are impacted by the deluge in Baksa, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Nalbari and Udalguri districts.

The water levels have begun to recede in some areas, the official said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he has spoken to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and assured him of all possible help to deal with the flood situation.

“Due to heavy rain, the people in parts of Assam are braving a flood-like situation. I have spoken to CM Shri @himantabiswa Ji and assured all possible assistance,” Shah tweeted.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are already on the ground conducting relief and rescue operations, and adequate forces are on standby, he added.

Reacting to Shah’s tweet, Sarma expressed gratitude for the “proactive response” and concern regarding the flood situation in the state.

“The Assam Government is on high alert and providing all assistance to the affected persons,” the CM said.

The administration has been operating 101 relief camps in these districts, where 81,352 persons have taken shelter, and running 119 relief distribution centres in five districts.

At present, 1,118 villages are under water and 8,469.56 hectare of crop area has been damaged across Assam, ASDMA said.

Massive erosion was witnessed in Baksa, Barpeta, Sonitpur, Dhubri, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, South Salmara and Udalguri, it said.

Places in Karimganj have also reported incidents of landslides due to heavy rainfall.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Darrang, Sonitpur, Kamrup, Golaghat, Nalbari, Barpeta, Baksa, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Udalguri and Lakhimpur, the report said.

Urban areas were inundated at many places in Darrang district, ASDMA said, adding, the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Tezpur and Neamatighat.