Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The flood death toll in Assam climbed to 61 on Saturday. More than 7.05 lakh people remain trapped across 12 districts. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority reported that 14 lives were lost in the last 24 hours alone, including seven drowning victims in Charaideo and six in Sivasagar. The crisis spans 856 villages across 37 revenue circles.
Upper Assam bears the brunt of the disaster. Thick mud and broken roads have paralyzed relief efforts. Rescue teams cannot reach an estimated 50,000 people in Nazira and 30,000 in Sivasagar. BJP MLA Mayur Borgohain told Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that current airdrops are failing. "If there are 200 families, only 10-20 relief packets are being airdropped," he said. He added that reaching the remaining 30 percent of marooned areas in his constituency remains impossible by boat or road.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Sarma on Saturday to review the catastrophe. He promised full support from the Centre for recovery. An inter-ministerial team arrives July 25 to evaluate the damage. Meanwhile, 103 relief camps house over 24,000 displaced residents. More than 41,000 people are sheltered across 162 camps total.
Infrastructure damage is extensive. Floods have submerged 56,606 hectares of farmland. Power supply remains severed for 60,000 households. The Buridihing, Disang, Dikhou, Dhansiri, and Kushiyara rivers continue to flow above danger levels. State authorities have deployed mobile medical units to prevent disease outbreaks as they monitor the health of over 3.7 lakh affected domestic animals.
Sarma has ordered local administrations to prioritize inaccessible pockets in Charaideo and Sivasagar. The government has released over Rs 111 crore for immediate relief. Ministers from Agriculture, Veterinary, and Health departments will visit the hardest-hit regions within three days to manage the long-term recovery.
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