Assam flood condition improves, 1.2 lakh hit

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam showed signs of improvement on Thursday, although nearly 1.2 lakh people are still hit across five districts, an official bulletin said.

The daily flood report from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said more than 115,500 people are affected by floods in Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Kamrup, and Karimganj districts. Cachar remains the most severely affected with nearly 75,000 people suffering, followed by Karimganj with over 39,000 people and Dhemaji with almost 1,000 people affected by floodwaters.

As of Wednesday, almost 1.4 lakh people were affected across seven districts. The total number of casualties due to floods, landslides, and storms this year stands at 41.

Currently, 123 relief camps and distribution centres are operational in two districts, providing shelter to 17,383 people. The ASDMA has distributed essential supplies, including 35.59 quintals of rice, 6.71 quintals of dal, 2.01 quintals of salt, and 201.18 litres of mustard oil to flood victims in the last 24 hours.

At present, 419 villages are inundated, and floodwaters have damaged 693.57 hectares of crop area across Assam. Infrastructure like embankments, roads, bridges, and others have been damaged in Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Lakhimpur, and Udalguri due to flooding.

Kushiyara river in Karimganj town is flowing above the danger mark. Over 1,39,000 domestic animals and poultry have also been affected by the flooding statewide.

Meanwhile, the Gauhati High Court criticised the Assam government for not addressing the perennial waterlogging issues in the state capital. The court imposed fines on four departments for not responding to its notices.

In addition, Dibrugarh town in Upper Assam faced flash floods after heavy rain on Thursday morning. Most streets, including the busy Mancotta road, were submerged under knee-deep water due to the town’s inadequate drainage system. Residents attribute the annual waterlogging issue to poor drainage management and encroachments near the Dibrugarh Town Protection drain.

“Every year waterlogging occurs mainly because of the poor drainage system. Although the department concerned constructs roads in every ward, they refrain from digging up drains adjacent to these roads,” said Parimal Banik, a resident of Dibrugarh town. Due to encroachments near the Dibrugarh Town Protection (DTP) drain, rainwater from the town cannot flow out and this has resulted in waterlogging in several areas of the town, an official said on condition of anonymity.

“We need a scientific drainage system which can flush out water from the town. Dibrugarh is one of the oldest towns in Assam that has been worst hit during the rainy season,” Ismail Ahmed, a retired professor, said.