Assam: Over 20,000 people affected in first wave of floods in Dibrugarh district

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: The flood situation in Dibrugarh district continues to remain critical with 66 villages across six revenue circles submerged as of Monday. The water level of Brahmaputra receded due to improvement in the weather but the situation remains unchanged in the low lying areas.

A total of 20,179 people have been affected by the floodwaters in Chabua, Moran, Dibrugarh East, Dibrugarh West, Naharkatia, and Tengakhat revenue circles.

“Three relief camps were opened and 149 inmates have taken refuge in the camps in Naharkatia and Dibrugarh West revenue circles. A total of 20539 animals were affected in the first wave of flood in Dibrugarh. Relief and tarpaulins were distributed by the district administration,” said an official.

Though no human or livestock casualties have been reported so far, 14 large animals were rescued on Sunday. The floods also caused damage to schools, health sub-centres, and public health infrastructure in areas like Dodhial Forest Village and Gereki Nepali.

On the other hand, a meeting was held in the conference hall of the District Commissioner’s office, Dibrugarh, to assess the current flood situation in the district on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Shantanu Gogoi, Deputy Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, and Mrinal Jyoti Bora, Project Officer from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (Irrigation Division).

Additional District Commissioner (Disaster Management) Dr Monika Bora briefed the gathering on the flood scenario in Dibrugarh district.

District Project Officer Dipjyoti Hatikakoti of DDMA presented detailed information through a PowerPoint presentation on the flood-affected areas, ongoing rescue operations being conducted by SDRF, NDRF, and Fire & Emergency Services, relief camps set up for displaced persons, and the availability of adequate relief materials.

The meeting also included an in-depth discussion on urban flooding issues in Dibrugarh town. Executive Officer of Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation Novas Kr Das highlighted the preventive measures taken by various departments to avoid a repeat of last year’s urban flood crisis. Officials also discussed the current status of embankments that were damaged during the previous year’s flood.

Deputy Secretary Shantanu Gogoi held further discussions with officials from departments such as Public Health Engineering, Health, Water Resources, PWD (Roads), Power, Handloom & Textiles, Housing, and Urban Affairs regarding preparedness to tackle the ongoing flood situation. The meeting was attended by Assistant Commissioner Surabhi Srivastava, Moran Circle Officer Queen Gogoi, Tingkhong Circle Officer Dr Upasana Duorah, and several other departmental officials.

Following the meeting, the two senior officers visited the relief camp at No. 2 Bogibeel Lower Primary School, interacted with the inmates, and reviewed the situation on the ground.

They also inspected the model flood relief camp at Lezai Higher Secondary School and took note of the facilities available, including clean drinking water, separate rooms for men and women, sanitation arrangements, medical aid, and child-friendly spaces.

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