Assam Flood Crisis Displaces Thousands as Centre Promises Aid

Guwahati: Floods have swamped four districts across Assam, leaving nearly 50,000 people struggling to survive. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority reports that Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Biswanath, and Nalbari districts are underwater. Dhemaji took the hardest hit, impacting over 44,000 residents alone. One person has died so far.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan flew over the disaster zone on Wednesday. He met with displaced families and reviewed the destruction of roads, homes, and power lines. Paddy fields are ruined. Thousands of livestock perished in the rising waters.

Chouhan promised the federal government will foot the bill for recovery. He plans to submit an interim damage report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon. "The crisis is big, and we have seen the devastation. The priority is to restore normalcy and rebuild people's lives," he told reporters in Guwahati.

Relief teams moved fast. NDRF and SDRF squads pulled 713 people from the rising current in Dhemaji. Officials are running 13 relief camps that currently hold 153 people. The state has already pushed out hundreds of quintals of rice and dal to those stranded in the 179 flooded villages.

The Brahmaputra River continues to crest above the danger mark at Neamatighat. With weather forecasts predicting El Nino impacts across 12 districts, the government is bracing for a long season. They are preparing for more rain, more damage, and a difficult road to reconstruction.