Assam flood situation grim; 1.6 lakh people affected, toll reaches 95

Fourteen districts and 1.6 lakh people were affected by floods in Assam while the death toll rose to 95 with six more deaths, officials said on Thursday.

Six fatalities were reported on Wednesday -- two each from Sivasagar and Biswanath districts, and one each from Golaghat and Morigaon.

The worst-hit Sivasagar alone has accounted for 50 deaths so far, while 21 people have lost their lives in another badly ravaged neighbouring district of Charaideo.

The toll in Jorhat was nine, followed by five in Golaghat, three in Dhemaji, two each in Karbi Anglong and Biswanath, and one each in Sonitpur, Kamrup Metropolitan and Morigaon.

More than 1,60,600 people remained affected in Biswanath, Charaideo, Darrang, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.

Among these, Sivasagar accounted for 57,000 people affected, followed by Golaghat (34,000) and Jorhat (25,000). On Tuesday, the number of affected people was 1.22 lakh in five districts.

More than 100 relief camps and relief distribution centres were operational in six districts, catering to 44,523 affected people at present. Crop area of 16,951.76 hectares remained submerged.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have also been damaged by floodwaters in different districts of the state.

Union minister J P Nadda reviewed the situation in the worst-hit districts on Wednesday and said the scale of devastation was so enormous that it will take time to restore normalcy.

Deputed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union health and family welfare minister toured Sivasagar district's Nepalikhuti area along the Assam-Nagaland border, one of the worst-hit regions in the latest wave of floods that struck on July 19.

In the evening, Nadda participated in a high-level review meeting with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior state government officials on the prevailing flood situation and the subsequent relief, rehabilitation and healthcare measures.

"I have visited the flood-hit Nepalikhuti area. Along with CM Sarma, I have witnessed the scale of devastation. The damage is so huge that it will take time (for normalcy to return)," Nadda told reporters after interacting with the flood victim families.

Assuring the affected people of all possible assistance from the Centre, he said the government stood firmly with them.