Nearly 1 million affected by flooding in Assam

The rising level of rivers with nonstop raining is worsening the flood situation in Assam. As many as one million people in 16 districts have been badly affected, as flood situation continues to be critical leaving at least 15 dead.

Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister of Assam visited the flood-affected areas of Majuli and Kaziranga – where the world famous Kaziranga National Park is situated – by air and later announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh each to the kin of dead in Majuli district, and assured the local residents to provide all sorts of relief. He also announced a separate compensation amount to be given for the death of domestic animals.

Theses compensation would be separate from the ex-gratia that has been announced for house destruction. Government has already declared an aid of Rs. 25,000 for RCC houses and Rs. 10,000 for mud houses. Chief Minister has also said that despite of heavy floods in Assam, there is no food crisis so far in the flood affected areas.

Gogoi also assured the local residents that inquiry would be carried out against those engineers who have made the faulty embankment at Majuali district.

According to reports, over one million people in over 1300 villages of 16 districts have been affected badly with this flood which covers about 2,69,609 hectares of land, and thousands hectares of standing crops have been destroyed.

Brahmaputra – one of the biggest rivers of the country has crossed the danger-mark and is overflowing in Guwahati, Jorhat, Dhubri, Goalpara, Dibrugarh, Neamatighat and Tezpur districts, while the worst affected areas are Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Morigaon, Nogaon and Dibrugarh.

Several rivers like Subansiri, Puthimari, Mora Pagaladiya, Dehing and Brahmaputra are overflowing and threatening to breach the embankments of the Nalbari, Notunbolai, Panimiri, Bamunbill, Tenghakhat and several remote areas of the state.

Army has been deployed in the flood-hit areas to step up relief and rescue operation. Several temporary relief camps have been opened and administration is delivering chlorine tablets for water purification.

According to official sources, 152 hand tube-wells have been installed for providing pure drinking water. Most of the flood-affected areas have been isolated from the main roads where only boats can reach there.