Army deployed as flood worsens in Upper Assam; rail services hit

Incessant rains worsened the flood situation in Upper Assam on Monday, requiring the deployment of Army personnel to assist state agencies in relief and rescue operations, while rail traffic was hit in the region with several trains rerouted, suspended or short-terminated. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), five people have died so far in this year’s floods. More than 57,100 people in Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts have been affected by the deluge, it said.

Several tea estates in the state are under floodwaters, with the Assam unit of the Tea Association of India saying that rivers from Nagaland have swelled suddenly and were flowing above the danger level. The breach of the embankment on the Dorika River aggravated the situation, inundating extensive stretches of the tea estates in the Nazira region, it said. Northeast Frontier Railway said that due to heavy rainfall, the swollen Dikhow River flooded Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district in Tinsukia Division.

“Floodwaters have entered the station yard and the railway colony. Railway tracks in the area have also been inundated. For passenger safety, train movement in the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections has been suspended until further notice,” it said. Long-distance trains from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia have been diverted through the Rangiya-Rangapara route on the north bank of the Brahmaputra while several local trains have either been cancelled or short-terminated.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said four of his cabinet colleagues are on the ground and monitoring the rescue and relief operations. He has asked all MPs and MLAs of the affected districts to be at the flood-hit areas to oversee the rapidly changing situation. “In Sivasagar, 510 people have been rescued by SDRF and the Fire and Emergency Services. Rescue efforts continue with additional boats and Army helicopters deployed to reach inaccessible areas,” the Chief Minister’s office posted on social media.

In Charaideo, the National Disaster Response Force, its state counterpart and Army teams have been deployed in the worst-hit areas, while relief measures are underway to ensure the safety and well-being of affected residents, it added. On Sunday night, Sarma said the state government requested the Army and Air Force to be on standby to assist the local administration in evacuating flood victims from several districts affected by the deluge.

“Flood-fighting work is underway in Jorhat, Charaideo and Sivasagar. Sand-filled bags are being dumped along the Dikhow embankment, geobags are being used to reinforce the Disang riverbank and flood-fighting work is underway at the Jhanji embankment in Norakonwar Bailung Gaon,” the CMO said. It said the Jhanji river was showing a receding trend with the water level falling by 0.04 metres since morning.

Sarma said unprecedented rainfall over the last few days has aggravated the flood situation in Sivasagar and neighbouring districts.

“We remain committed to providing all sorts of assistance to the affected... Rescue efforts are underway and are being monitored by our ministerial team,” he added.

As rains continue, the administration is reinforcing its efforts to shift people to safer places and provide them with all necessary support, the Chief Minister said.

Sarma said on Sunday that he directed his ministerial colleagues Ajanta Neog, Bimal Borah, Keshab Mahanta and Susanta Borgohain to immediately reach the affected areas to supervise relief efforts.