The death toll from floods in Assam state now stands at 61, after 14 people died on Friday, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for an update on the ongoing relief and rescue operations across the flood-affected areas.
“He asked for an update on the extent of devastation, ongoing relief operations and the challenges we are facing on the ground. I briefed him on the actions being taken by the state government and our efforts to reach every affected family,” Sarma wrote on X.
“Expressing his deep condolences over the loss of lives and property, the Hon’ble Prime Minister assured the people of Assam that this disaster is of utmost priority and the Government of India will extend all possible support to help in the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts,” Sarma added.
The Indian Army and Indian Air Force are also assisting the state government in relief operations.
According to ASDMA, seven people died in Charedo on Friday while six deaths were reported in Sivasagar and one in Jorhat. As of Thursday, there have been 21 deaths in Sivasagar alone, and with six others, the death toll in the district has reached 27. The ASDMA said one person is missing.
In Sivasagar, 3.48 lakh (.348 million) people are affected by the floods while 1.88 lakh (.188 million) people are suffering in Charadeo, followed by Jorhat where the number of people affected by the floods is 1.26 lakh (.126 million).
Read also:Why Assam floods: The obvious answer is the Brahmaputra, but there is much more to it than that
Due to relatively low rainfall in Assam and neighboring states in the last 48 hours, major rivers have shown a declining trend, but 12 districts including Golaghat, Charadeo, Dibrugarh, Hogai, Nagaon, Biswanath, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Kamrup and Karbi Anglong remain affected, according to the state government.
Sarma said that more than 1.1 million people in 2,000 villages are suffering, and the government is trying to provide appropriate support to those affected.
He wrote on
He said that the state government had released more than… $111 crore to provide essentials to affected people.
“More than 14,000 quintals of rice, 2,000 quintals of dal, 58,820 liters of mustard oil among other items have been distributed to people; this is an ongoing effort. $Rs 111 lakh crore has already been released to districts to effectively deal with this challenge and we will scale it up as and when needed.
In addition, mobile units of the Health and Livestock Departments are present everywhere to ensure that the disease does not spread and to treat those affected immediately.
The Prime Minister said he would hold a discussion with officers of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force on how the country can reach “100% of the people stranded” in the floods and streamline airdrop methods.
On Friday afternoon, the Prime Minister held an emergency meeting with senior officials and district commissioners of the affected areas to review the current situation and find final solutions to the challenges on the ground.
On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also sought an update from Himanta and assured him that an inter-ministerial team would visit the state to review the flood situation. Sarma said on Friday that the team would arrive on Saturday.
“A central team will visit Assam to assess the damage as the floods continue to get the complete picture. Our assessment teams will also start visiting the affected areas and instantly upload the real extent of the damage via a mobile application,” Sarma added.
Apart from floods in upper Assam, Guwahati is also suffering from urban floods. According to ASDMA, nearly 15,000 people have been affected in 10 areas of the city.
Sarma claimed that construction work in the hills of Meghalaya by a private university led to floods in Guwahati.
“If things continue as they are in Meghalaya’s Jorabhat Hills near Guwahati, which includes USTM and other buildings, it will be difficult to protect Guwahati from devastating floods. The matter is sub judice and will soon be listed for hearings,” he wrote on X.
Assam Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai on Friday evening chaired a review meeting on the Guwahati floods and asked agencies including Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), PWD (Roads) and NHAI to expedite cleaning and removal of sewage across the city so that the flood waters recede quickly.
He said he has also instructed Kamrup District Commissioner (Metro) to prepare standard operating procedures and annual maintenance calendar for the city’s sewerage system.
