Floods: 19 lakh hit in Assam, 25 lakh in Bihar; 51 people dead so far
An increasing number of ground reports and deeper penetration by search and rescue teams are starting to provide us a better picture of the extent of devastation caused by floods in India's east and northeast.
As per initial estimates, over 44 lakh people have been affected in Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, and at least 51 have died. In many places, main highways have been washed away or submerged, cutting off vital supplies to people stranded without food and water for several days now.
Such is the devastation caused by the overflowing Brahmaputra, Kosi, Beki, Jingiram and Aie that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who conducted an aerial survey of Assam Saturday, described the situation as "grim" and appealed NGOs to help the government conduct rescue and relief work in these areas.
"I visited certain flood-affected areas of Assam. The situation is grim but the chief minister and his team are doing well to manage the situation," he told a press conference, where he also announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Rajnath, however, did not think it was a fit case to be declared a "national calamity", its scale notwithstanding. "Declaring floods a national calamity is not a solution to the problem. There is a need for an action plan to deal with such a serious flood situation," he said.
Also Read: Where a state drowns each year: Assam floods and what needs to be done
OP Singh, head of the National Disaster Response Force, which is carrying out rescue and relief work in Assam and Bihar, accompanied Rajnath on the aerial survey.
He told Catch that a slight decrease in rainfall since Saturday was a positive for his teams. "As of now, the waters are receding which is a good thing for us. Seventeen of our teams are deployed in 22 districts of Assam. We have helped around 1,500 people with medical aid and brought some of them to safer places. Rescue work will continue 24x7 till the situation improves."
He said medical camps are being held at several places. "Yesterday, NDRF teams organised medical camps at Majuli in Jorhat and at Revenue Circle in Dubri to provide medical attention to needy persons. NDRF's medical teams attended to 293 sick persons in Jorhat and 252 persons in Dubri."
Facing the brunt
Although rain relented Saturday, there is no sign yet of the floods abating. Water levels in all rivers are well above danger marks. "Overflowing rivers are flooding new areas, making things worse," says Keshab Mahanta, the state's water resource minister. Assam has witnessed excess rainfall of over 60% this year, with the government describing it as "unprecedented".
According to a police official in Assam involved in relief and rescue work, what has made things worse is Bhutan's releasing of a lot of water from the river Aie. "While we were already dealing with overflowing Brahmaputra in the region, the extra water released by Bhutan has made rescue operations more difficult."
The official, who did not want to be quoted, said it was sad that while such floods have became an annul feature in Assam, the response to them hasn't changed at all over the years. "There has to be a better way to respond to the situation. In other places, floods may mean that people have to leave their homes and live in makeshift camps for a while. In Assam, we know how devastating the rainy season is. Over and over, it destroys our houses and crops, and every time we have to start life all over again."
According to an official at the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, over a lakh people affected are now living in makeshift camps. "Floodwater has inundated 3,374 villages as well as crops on 2,13,251 hectares of land."
In all, the floods have affected some 19 lakh people in 3,300 villages of 22 districts in Assam. At least 25 people have died so far. The affected districts are Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Barpeta, Goalpara, Dhubri, Darrang, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Kokrajhar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Biswanath, Kamrup Metropolitan, Chirang, Nagaon, Kamrup and South Kamrup.
The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati, Jorhat, Tezpur, Goalpara, and Dhubri.
The NDRF, State Disaster Response Force and the army have been deployed to evacuate the affected people to safer places.
Widespread destruction
In Bihar, OP Singh said, eight NDRF teams have evacuated 365 people from Gopalganj. More than 25 lakh people have reportedly been affected in the state while at least 26 people have been killed. Of the deaths, 15 have been reported from Kishanganj and Purnia, the worst affected districts along with Araria, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Saharsa, Gopalganj and Supaul. The floods have submerged an estimated area of 1.83 lakh hectares.
Also Read: Amma in the time of floods: Jaya forces her face on Chennai food packets
In Arunachal Pradesh, Namsai and East Siang districts continue to be the worst affected.
In Meghalaya, over one lakh people have been affected, and thousands are reported to be living in makeshift shelters. While there has not been a report of any death so far, over 23,559 households are said to be submerged.
According to West Garo Hills District Magistrate Pravin Bakshi, "The floodwater has shown signs of receding, and we are hopeful the overall situation will improve in the days to come."
The floods in the Brahmaputra and the Jingiram rivers have affected an estimated 1.2 lakh people in 258 villages in the state. Several villages in Phulbari, Rajabala, Singimari, Paham, Bhaitbari and Hallidayganj are reportedly completely submerged.
Also Read: Small steps, big change: 4 simple ways to prevent severe floods
First published: 30 July 2016, 11:03 IST
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