Assam floods: Death toll rises to 11; over 5.15 lakh people affected across 22 districts

GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam continues to remain grim, with the death toll from floods and landslides rising to 11.

According to the flood reports of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 6 people died in floods and 5 others died in landslides in the state.

More than 5.15 lakh people of 22 districts of Assam have been affected by the deluge.

One more person drowned in flood waters, and two others are missing in the last 24 hours. One person drowned in Hojai district, while two others are missing in Hailakandi and Dibrugarh districts.

As of June 2, a total of 1254 villages under 65 revenue circles in 22 districts of the state – Hailakandi, Hojai, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sribhumi, Karbi Anglong, Dibrugarh, Morigaon, Kamrup, Cachar, Golaghat, Darrang, Majuli, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Kamrup (M), Karbi Anglong West, Jorhat, Tinsukia, Sonitpur, Dima-Hasao, Sivasagar- have been affected in the current floods.

The Brahmaputra River, along with Barak and several of their tributaries, are flowing above danger levels at multiple locations, including Neamatighat, Tezpur, Badatighat, Numaligarh, Kampur, Fulertal, and Sribhumi, among others.

The flood waters have submerged 12,610.27 hectares of cropland, causing extensive damage to agriculture.

Sribhumi remains the worst-affected district with over 1.94 lakh people reeling under floodwaters. Other badly-hit districts include Cachar (77,961 people affected), Nagaon (67,880), Lakhimpur (47,127), Hailakandi (30,234), Dibrugarh (20,179), and Tinsukia (19,289).

As many as 1.85 lakh people have taken shelter in 322 relief camps and distribution centres set up by district administrations in flood-hit areas.

As per the ASDMA report, 4,67,851 animals have been affected in the floods, with 94 animals washed away in the last 24 hours at various places.

The flood waters have also caused infrastructural damage, as on Monday, 49 roads, four bridges, and three embankments were damaged or breached due to floodwaters.

As the northeast region reels under heavy rains, with various areas in Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and more are experiencing flooding, landslides, and increasing river levels.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 1 assured of every possible help to the flood-affected areas in the northeast region, and also spoke with the Chief Ministers of Assam, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and the Governor of Manipur.

In a press release issued on May 2, the India Meteorological Department said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over the Northeastern states for the next 2 days and decrease in intensity thereafter.

It further said, “Heavy to very heavy rainfall recorded at isolated places over Nagaland and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal; Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura.” (ANI)