The situation in Assam has taken a distressing turn as the current wave of floods has affected nearly 191,000 people across 17 districts.
As per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 47,400 people have been affected in Lakhimpur district, 41,000 in Dhemaji district, 28,000 in Golaghat district, 21,500 in Sivasagar district, and 17,800 in Sonitpur district.
Tragedy struck anew in the last 24 hours, as flood waters claimed one life in the Sivasagar district, raising the year’s death toll to 15 across the state.
The continuous torrential rains in Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh have caused the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries to breach their danger levels, inundating multiple areas in the state.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) report indicates that the Brahmaputra’s water level is surging perilously high at Dibrugarh, Neamatighat in Jorhat district, Tezpur in Sonitpur district, and Dhubri. The Subansiri river has also breached the danger level at Badatigha in Lakhimpur district, and also the Dikhou and Disang rivers in Sivasagar.
In response, the district administration has set up two relief camps and 45 relief distribution centers across four districts affected by the floods. The deluge has also affected over 130,000 domestic animals and poultry.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local administration teams are actively engaged in rescue operations within the flood-hit areas. The floods have inundated a substantial 8,086.40 hectares of crop area across the 17 districts.
The challenges are numerous, with breached embankments and damaged infrastructure in districts like Biswanath, Darranga, and Udalguri. Schools, bridges, roads, and essential facilities have been adversely impacted. It is a critical period as the communities strive to cope with the unfolding crisis.