Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam remains in the grip of a disaster. The death toll from recent floods hit 95 on August 5. More than 1.6 lakh people across 14 districts currently struggle with the aftermath. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority reports 563 villages across 38 revenue circles are impacted. The list of hit districts includes Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Kamrup (Metro), Jorhat, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Nagaon, Darrang, Karbi Anglong, and Udalguri.
Sivasagar remains the worst-hit area. Over 57,000 residents are displaced there. Throughout the state, 104 relief camps and distribution centers shelter over 12,000 people. Another 32,000 receive aid outside these sites. Agencies deployed 76 boats to evacuate nearly 500 people and 20 animals. Over 16,900 hectares of cropland are submerged. Infrastructure damage remains severe, with 22 roads, two bridges, and 342 houses reported as damaged or destroyed.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has pledged extensive support. The state announced Rs 15.86 crore to repair 793 flood-hit schools in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat. Each school gets Rs 2 lakh. Families face a different reality. The government promised Rs 15,000 for over 75,000 families and Rs 9 lakh for every deceased victim's kin. Vedanta Group contributed Rs 7 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Sarma thanked the group, stating, "As Assam faces this devastating flood, Vedanta has once again stepped forward with a contribution of ₹7 crore towards relief and rehabilitation efforts."
Former opposition leader Debabrata Saikia claims the disaster is man-made. He blames illegal mining along the Assam-Nagaland border for exacerbating the surge. He recently petitioned President Droupadi Murmu for an investigation. Saikia argues that state authorities ignored Gauhati High Court orders from 2019 regarding illegal mining. He alleges that deforestation and riverbed disturbances in Nagaland worsened the floods. CM Sarma acknowledged the inter-state nature of the problem. Local residents and organizations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Sewa Bharati, continue to distribute food, medicine, and dry goods.
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