New Delhi: Eight more people have died due to floods in Assam which includes five from Cachar district, one each from Kamrup Metro, Morigaon and Nagaon, officials told news agency PTI. One person was also reported missing in Cachar district, according to a bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Over 21 lakh people continue to be in distress under the impact of the deluge.
In Silchar town, which has been submerged for over a week, efforts are underway to provide relief in those areas where the administration is yet to reach, by air dropping packets of food, drinking water bottles and other essentials by Indian Air Force helicopters.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are also engaged in preparing a flood map of Silchar town so as to identify the extent of damage, and help in taking measures to mitigate losses in future, Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said, according to PTI.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), UNICEF and OXFAM have set up boat-mounted water treatment units to cater to the needy within Silchar and its peripheral areas, she added.
Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Monday visited Borjalenga and Narsinghpur development blocks in his constituency Dholai to inspect the delivery of relief materials for the flood-affected people.
Meanwhile, the rivers have started receding though Kopili at Nagaon, Barak at Cachar and Karimganj and Kushiara in Karimganj were flowing above the danger mark, officials told PTI.
The ASDMA bulletin said 2,254 villages under 61 revenue circles remain affected by the current wave of floods across the state, while 1,91,194 people have taken shelter in 538 relief camps. Flood waters have damaged 79 roads and five bridges, even as six embankments were breached, it said, PTI reported.
A crop area of 74,655.89 hectares is still inundated, and 2,774 animals have so far been washed away, it added.
There was, however, some improvement in the flood situation, with the total affected population declining to 21.52 lakh in 22 districts as against the previous day’s 22.21 lakh in 28 districts.