Assam flood: Toll rises to 28; over 5 lakh affected
Guwahati, May 25: The death toll from the pre-monsoon floods in Assam on Wednesday rose to 28 as two more deaths were reported, officials said, adding 5.75 lakh people in the state's 15 districts were affected.
The flood situation, however, is said to have improved marginally.
Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that an inter-ministerial Central team of six members would be on a two-day visit to the flood-ravaged state beginning Friday to assess the damage caused to the properties, crops, loss of lives and other aspects.
The ASDMA officials said that the team, led by Ravinesh Kumar, Financial Advisor, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Home Ministry, would visit Cachar, Dima Hasao, Darrang, Nagaon and Hojai districts to assess the extent of loss caused by rain-induced floods and landslides.
According to the officials, at least 5,75,470 people, including 1,15,314 children of 1,073 villages have been affected in 15 of the state's 34 districts. Of the 28 deaths, 23 died in floods and remaining five in landslides in different districts.
An ASDMA release said that 51,671 hectares of crop areas remained affected in flood-hit areas.
In all, 72,698 people are staying in the 310 relief camps, while the district administrations have also opened 112 relief distribution centres in all the affected areas.
Of the 15 flood affected districts, 3,64,492 people were affected in Nagaon districts alone followed by 1,63,488 people in Cachar and 41,036 in Morigaon district.
The Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Assam Rifles, various para-military forces, the National Disaster Response Force, and the State Disaster Response Force, Civil Defence along with the district administrations continued to work round the clock to rescue the stranded people and to provide relief to the marooned men, women and children.
The IAF has air-dropped the most essential supplies in the flood affected areas through 20 shuttles/trips of helicopters from Guwahati, Jorhat and Silchar.
Several ministers, including Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika, and Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, are camping in the flood-ravaged areas to supervise the rescue and relief operations.
The water of Kopili river was flowing above the danger level in several places.The situation in the hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in Dima Hasao district remained critical on Wednesday as inclement weather continued to batter the area, affecting the Lumding-Badarpur single line railway route, which connects Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country.
According to NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer, Sabyasachi De, in the Lumding Division, train services have been cancelled till June end.