Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma made an honest admission that despite all-out efforts, the state administration has not been able to reach sections of flood-affected people, especially in Nazira and Sivasagar, as of now. He said that the state government would devise ways to tackle such flash floods that leave little time for taking safety measures.
Speaking to the media today, the chief minister stated, “The floods that ravaged the three districts have reached the intensity of natural disasters. The administration has been carrying out rescue and relief operations round the clock, yet it cannot reach around 50,000 affected people in Nazira and 30,000 in Sivasagar. The administration cannot reach some villages as the roads that lead to them have layers of silt preventing vehicular movement. We’re getting help from the army to make such roads motorable. On the other hand, rescue boats cannot reach some affected villages. We’re using country boats to reach them. The number of unreachable individuals is decreasing as the administration makes every effort to assist them.”
On the reasons behind such a devastating deluge, the chief minister said, “Between July 18 and July 20, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland received excessive rains. During this period, while Assam received 33 per cent more than normal rainfall, Manipur received 121 per cent more than normal, Nagaland received 181 per cent more than normal, and Meghalaya received 40 per cent more than normal rainfall. The Charaideo district in Assam received 436 per cent more than normal rainfall, while Sivasagar received 134 per cent more than normal. With the excessive water from Nagaland coming down, the situation in Charaideo and Sivasagar aggravated. All of these events occurred within just two hours, making it impossible for both the administration and the affected people to anticipate the situation.”
The Chief Minister said that the number of affected people in Charaideo and Sivasagar is around seven lakh in about 485 villages.
On the relief front, the chief minister said, “The administration is trying all options, including airdropping, to make essential items reach the affected people. The airdropping practice has not been very successful, as the sacs containing essential items often sustain partial damage during the drop. I’ll take up the issue with the Eastern Air Command to find a solution. The use of drones has also not proved successful. Funds for relief aren’t a problem for us. The question of restoring the damaged infrastructure will arise only after the damage assessment. A central team will arrive in the state for the assessment of the flood damage on July 25. We’ll form a group of ministers (GoM) to assess the house-wise damage. The group will start assessing flood damage after three or four days when the water recedes.
Also Read: Assam Deluge Leaves Trail of Grief: 1,040 Lives Lost to Floods Since 2014