Assam floods: 41 dead, over 6.5K affected as situation remains critical; IMD issues warning for next four days | Today’s news
As many as 41 people have died due to floods in Assam, officials said on Thursday, stressing that while the situation remains grim, more than 6.50 lakh people are reeling under the flood in 11 districts.
Assam Flood Update:
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood bulletin issued on Wednesday said 10 people lost their lives in the deluge within 24 hours from Tuesday midnight, taking the toll in this year’s deluge to 41, news agency PTI reported.
More than 6,53,100 people were affected in 11 districts – Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon.
The worst affected is Sivasagar with nearly four million people affected, followed by Charaideo (around 1.11 million) and Jorhat (over 97,000), the bulletin said.
Several major rivers in the northeastern state were flowing above the danger level, officials were quoted as saying by PTI. Till Tuesday, nearly 5.65 million people were affected by the floods in 12 districts.
Swollen rivers
The ASDMA bulletin said the Desang and Dikhow were flowing above the “severe flood” level at two places in Sivasagar district, while the Dhansiri (S) had breached the level at Numaligarh in Golaghat.
River Buridihing in Khowang and Kushiyara in Sribhumi also flowed above the danger level.
“All agencies are on the ground responding to the unprecedented flood situation triggered by a cloudburst in the neighboring hill area and excessive rainfall.
IMD warning
The India Meteorological Department has issued an alert for the next four days as it predicts thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain at isolated places. A yellow warning for thunderstorms and rain was issued on July 23.
“Rescue operations are underway with distribution of food, drinking water, medicine and sanitary napkins while relief work continues in the affected areas,” the CMO said in a social media post on Thursday.
Rescue operations on
The Army, Air Force and other agencies continued rescue and relief operations, with drones also being pressed into service to provide essential items to stranded people in remote locations, they said.
Altogether, 487 relief camps and aid distribution centers are operating in 10 districts, sheltering 24,418 displaced persons.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to visit some of the worst affected areas of Golaghat district during the day.
On Wednesday, he supervised the rescue operations and interacted with the affected people in neighboring Jorhat and Sivasagar.
