Assam Flood Crisis Shows Signs of Relief as Water Levels Recede, Death Toll Stands at 68

TDT l NEWDELHI

The flood situation in Assam remains grim, with lakhs across several districts of the state impacted by the widespread destruction. The waters have inundated over 600 villages, infrastructure has been damaged, and the death toll currently stands at 68. However, officials on Tuesday said that Assam's flood situation improved with the number of affected people decreasing to 4.45 lakh and water levels receding in several districts.

As per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 4,45,495 people have been impacted across the flood-affected districts, which include Sivasagar, Golaghat, Charaideo, Jorhat, Nagaon, and Kamrup (Metropolitan). The number of affected individuals was over 5 lakh across five districts of the state till Sunday. According to data from the authority as of 8 pm on Monday, a total of 631 villages across 21 revenue circles remained underwater. Furthermore, Charaideo remains the worst-affected district with a population of 1.88 lakh hit by the floods, followed by Sivasagar with 1.44 lakh affected residents.

The impact on agriculture and livestock has been severe, with more than 37,139 hectares of cropland remaining submerged. Over 2.56 lakh animals have been affected, with over 26,000 animals washed away. Widespread infrastructure damage has also been reported across the state, with several road stretches in Jorhat, Sivasagar, and Charaideo overtopped or eroded by floodwaters. Regarding housing, 171 houses have been fully damaged, while 4,667 houses have sustained partial damage. Educational institutions have also been affected, with several primary schools in Sivasagar and Jorhat reporting submergence or structural damage. In terms of river water levels, the Dhansiri (South) at Numaligarh continued to flow above the danger mark, though no rivers have breached their Highest Flood Level yet.

The flood situation in Sivasagar district continued to worsen as floodwaters entered houses and submerged roads in Naujan village. Assam State President of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Ahmed Ayubi, who visited the affected areas, stated that the situation is very terrible, noting that in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts, the condition is extremely bad. He added that party workers are working everywhere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation, and the Chief Minister is also overseeing it.