Assam is struggling badly because the flood situation is deteriorating throughout the state. Now the death toll has risen to around 140 and nearly 25 lakh people across 28 districts have been stranded. According to sources, the floods have affected 2,254 villages under 61 revenue circles. More than 2774 animals have washed out in the floods, and 74,655.89 hectares of crop area are submerged. The government has set up relief shelters at many places and nearly 2 lakh people have refuge in 538 of these camps.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday visited the flood-affected Barpeta and Bajali districts, in order to gauge the rescue and relief work going on. CM Sarma also spoke to the people living in the relief camps to understand their plight.
Recently, Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah in Cachar district led a meeting to discuss the situation and measures that should be taken for the safety of the people in the affected area. “This is an unprecedented crisis and this place has never seen such a devastating flood before. The officials are working hard on the ground but some errors need to be rectified to ensure an efficient and smooth dealing of the crisis,” he said.
Baruah instructed all the related departments to work together to ensure proper supply and distribution of relief materials, restoration of electricity, availability of baby and animal food, as well as manage the evacuation of victims wherever required. He further insisted that the officials must see that smallest of the areas must get relief aid. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were asked to ensure that relief items are transported to all the remote areas which have lost physical communication. The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) officials were asked to continue building temporary toilets and fit emergency tube-wells in areas facing water crisis due to frequent power cuts.
