Assam flood situation eases; 10 more dead

The situation at Silchar in Cachar district remains critical

Water logged: A security personnel rescues people from a flood-affected area in Silchar, Assam. | Photo Credit: PTI

GUWAHATI

The flood situation in Assam eased on Friday but left 10 more people, including four children, dead.

A total of 117 people died in floods and landslides across Assam since April, when pre-monsoon rains lashed the State.

While central and western Assam breathed easier, southern Assam’s Barak Valley continues to be inundated. The situation in Silchar, the headquarters of Cachar district and the nerve centre of the valley, remained critical.

The scenario in Silchar has been so critical that locals have reported some bodies, wrapped for the last rites, floating possibly because the cremation and burial grounds are flooded.

Dumper for patients

Cachar’s Deputy Commissioner, Keerthi Jalli said a dumper had been placed at the SM Dev Civil Hospital in Silchar for shifting critical patients to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital. Regular ambulances are unable to operate.

“We have also installed a water purification machine in the NH6 Bisupatti area for the people of some 400 households living on the roof of some buildings,” she said.

An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) official said additional resources and support systems had been deployed in the severely affected districts, especially Cachar and two others in Barak Valley.

“Two drones have been deployed in Silchar for carrying out the flood inundation mapping and to provide relief materials in inaccessible areas. About 85.2 tonnes of relief items, including packaged drinking water and rice, were air transported from Guwahati and Jorhat to Silchar,” the official said.

According to the ASDMA’s flood report, 33.03 lakh people across 3,510 villages in 28 districts were affected in Assam in the last 24 hours. Some 2.66 lakh people are staying across 717 relief camps in the affected districts.

Life hit in Nagaland

Normal life in Nagaland was also affected during the last 24 hours due to incessant, heavy rainfall. Communication to many remote areas has been cut off but there was no report of any loss of life.

Apart from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have suffered rain-induced damages since April. A total of 38 people have died in flash floods and landslides in these two States so far.