Assam: 30,000 Affected by Floods amid Rising Number of Corona Cases

Guwahati:

As many as 30,701 persons across 5 Assam districts -- namely, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Darrang, and Goalpara -- have been affected in the first wave of floods amid incessant rains in the state as on Monday, the Government said.

As part of the Assam Government's disaster mitigation efforts, 33 relief camps have been opened up in Goalpara district and 8,941 people are housed therein. 9,804 large animals, 1,750 small animals, and 500 poultry have been affected due to the flash floods, but thankfully, not a single one has been washed away. At the same time, 579 hectares of crop area in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji have been affected due to the flood wave.

Meanwhile, the Jia Bharali river in Sonitpur and the Puthimari river in Kamrup district have risen above 'danger level'. Erosion has been reported in three districts -- Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, and Udalguri.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday stated that he has directed all Deputy Commissioners to set up separate cells to carry out relief and rescue operations expeditiously during flood. He observed that the district administrations have already geared up with all preparations to deal with flood and said that they have been directed to provide all possible support to the people affected by flood.

It is pertinent to mention here that flooding is a major problem in several Indian States. The 2019 floods in affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to incessant rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. The challenge is expected to be even greater this time around as the nation is already grappling with the treat of the coronavirus that has killed over 3 lakh people across the world. Last year, the floods affected all the 33 districts of Assam.

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