The death toll has increased to 10 with the death of two more people due to floods and landslides in Assam. More than four lakh people have been affected in more than 20 districts on Sunday. Seven major rivers are in spate. This information was given in an official bulletin.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate for people living in low -lying areas and river banks due to continuous heavy rains in the state and neighboring areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Sarma during the day to take stock of the situation and assured all possible assistance, while many agencies are engaged in rescue and relief operations. Fourteen stranded people were rescued by the Indian Air Force helicopter from the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Road, rail and boat services have been affected due to continuous rains in most areas of the state for the last few days. In the last few days, the state government announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4-4 lakh for families of five people killed in landslides in Guwahati.
The bulletin issued late in the evening by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that in the last 24 hours, one death has been reported in Cachar and Sri Bhumi districts.
The death toll due to floods and landslides in the state has now increased to 10. Bulletin states that 3,64,046 people from 56 revenue circles and 764 villages of 19 districts are suffering from floods.
Cachar is the most affected where 1,03,790 people are affected, followed by 83,621 people in Sri Bhumi and 62,700 people in Nagaon. An official statement issued from Cachar said that all educational institutions in the district will remain closed for two days till Tuesday.
The ASDMA Bulletin states that 3,524.38 hectares of crop land has been submerged and 696 animals have been washed away. A total of 52 relief camps have 10,272 people taking shelter, while 103 relief distribution centers are employed.
There have been reports of ‘urban floods’ in four districts, which affected more than 41,000 people, while four districts have also been affected by landslides.
The rivers flowing above the danger level in the state are Brahmaputra in Dibrugarh and Nematighat, Dhansiri in Numaligarh, Kopili in Kampur, Katakhal in Matizuri, Barak in Badarpur Ghat and Kushiara in Sri Bhoomi.
The ASDMA Bulletin states that many agencies are engaged in saving relief and trapped people using various means including helicopters and boats of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapnil Paul said that 14 people trapped in the Bomjir River on the Assam-Arunachal border were saved by Air Force personnel in the early hours.
“The people were trapped due to the rising water level due to continuous rains in the area,” he said. The district administration quickly coordinated with officials of the Indian Air Force and Arunachal Pradesh to implement the rescue scheme. “
The official said that all 14 people have been sent back home. Sarma apprised the Union Home Minister about the current situation over the phone and advised people living in the river and low -lying areas to be vigilant in view of continuous rains in the state and neighboring Arunachal Pradesh.
The CM said in a post on X, “Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah called me some time ago to get information about the flood in Assam and offered all possible assistance to deal with the current situation.”
Sarma said, “I have informed them about the steps being taken and we are grateful to his anxiety and support.”
In another post, Sarma said that Kibitu (17 cm), Huliang (15 cm) and Kalkatang (10 cm) of Arunachal Pradesh have recorded heavy rainfall, which can increase the river water level.
He said, “Silchar (42 cm) in Assam, Karimganj (35 cm), Halakandi (30 cm) and surrounding areas are already receiving heavy rains. People living in low -lying areas and river banks are advised to be vigilant and follow local advice. It is advisable to be safe, be prepared.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railway said that four trains were canceled due to water flowing over the tracks on the Baraigram-Dullabachera section and another train was stopped in the middle.
Dullabachera-Sillacher, Silchar-Dullabachera and Badarpur-Dullabachera-Badarpur passenger trains have been canceled for two days. He informed that the Guwahati-Dullabachera-Guwahati train will be started from Barigram itself and will be canceled between Baiigram and Dullabachera by Tuesday.
Officials said that a part of National Highway-17 near Shingra Shalanibari in Chaigaon area of Kamarup district has overtakes from Saturday. He said that due to heavy rains and water flowing from the neighboring state of Meghalaya, the situation in the area has worsened.
He said that measures are being taken to facilitate traffic movement using alternative routes. Officials said the boat services between Jorhat and Majuli have been suspended with immediate effect due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra river.
The Chief Minister said on Friday that the state is facing unusual situation due to continuous rains due to dense clouds in many parts of the Northeast.
