Assam Flood Death Toll Reaches 95 as 14 Districts Remain on High Alert
The flood situation in Assam remains grave, with six more people losing their lives to the disaster in the last 24 hours. The death toll this monsoon has so far reached 95 as thousands of families continue to be displaced. Authorities are working tirelessly to rescue and provide succour to the people in need in the wake of the disaster.
As per the latest data from the Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS), over 1.6 lakh people residing in 563 villages have been affected by the deluge across 14 districts. Dhansiri (South) River at Numaligarh continues to remain above the danger level, causing alarm in Sivasagar, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Dhemaji and Kamrup (Metro).
Out of the six people who died due to the disaster on Wednesday, five fatalities were reported due to the general flood situation while the remaining were due to urban flooding. Biswanath and Sivasagar districts each reported two deaths, while one loss each was recorded in Golaghat and in Morigaon’s Mayong area. In Udalguri, one person was reported missing.
With a total number of people affected crossing 57,000, Sivasagar continues to be the most inundated district. Floods have wreaked tremendous damage to public infrastructure and property. Seven embankments have been breached, apart from a steel bridge in Charaideo and a foot bridge in Udalguri. About 16,951 hectares of agricultural land have been submerged, affecting hundreds of farmers. Livestock has also been severely affected, with over 35,000 animals injured and nearly 8,500 animals lost to the flood.
Urban flooding has been particularly damaging to the people of Guwahati and its surrounding districts as the waterlogging situation continues to persist. SDRF and DDRF teams have been helping to evacuate many people stranded in flood-affected areas in boats.
The Assam government has so far opened 45 relief camps, providing shelter to more than 12,000 people. Besides, 59 relief distribution camps have been set up to provide food, water and other essential supplies to the affected people. With the weather forecast predicting more rain, authorities have so far been monitoring the situation, keeping a tab on the water levels of rivers, and advising people in vulnerable areas to stay safe.
