Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The death toll from this year's devastating Assam floods climbed to 80 on July 31 after two fatalities, including a young boy, occurred in Sivasagar. Disaster management officials report that 212,400 people across eight districts—Golaghat, Sivasagar, Biswanath, Charaideo, Kamrup (Metropolitan), Jorhat, Dhemaji, and Nagaon—remain in the grip of the disaster. While the total number of affected citizens has dropped from over 300,000 earlier in the week, 437 villages across 21 revenue circles stay submerged.
Relief camps now host 75,583 displaced people across 112 facilities. The Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, police, and civil administration are managing the response. Nearly 2.97 lakh domestic animals and poultry are impacted, with 17,198.09 hectares of cropland ruined. The Dhansiri River continues to exceed danger levels at Numaligarh.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a six-month loan moratorium starting July 19 for standard accounts in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, and Jorhat. The relief covers housing, education, vehicle, farm, and self-help group loans. Eligible borrowers may extend repayment tenures by up to seven years. Small traders can access an additional Rs 10,000 loan without collateral. The government also pledged a Rs 1.5 lakh grant for each affected Namghar in Sivasagar and Charaideo.
Sarma detailed a recovery plan beginning August 2, where families will receive Rs 15,000 in immediate aid. A comprehensive damage assessment starts August 7, scheduled to wrap up within 15 days. Education remains a priority, with Rs 8 crore allocated for uniforms and Rs 2 to 3 lakh per school for cleaning debris and mud. Classes are set to restart August 9.
Assam has petitioned the Centre to classify the Upper Assam floods as an "atypical, high-intensity, rapid-onset event," a move intended to unlock flexible damage assessment norms. A delegation of BJP MPs, including Pabitra Margherita, Dilip Saikia, and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to press for 100 days of advance wages for farmers under the VB-GRAM scheme. Shah promised full federal support.
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