Assam: Floods claim 27 lives; Rajnath Singh conducts aerial survey

On 30 July, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh took an aerial survey of flood-affected areas of Nagaon, Morigaon and Kaziranga in Assam.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader was accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh.

After conducting the aerial survey, the Home Ministry addrresed a pres conference and informed that around 27 people have died due to floods.

"I have been told that around 27 people have died over the past one week due to floods in Assam. Declaring this as a natural calamity is not the solution, there is a need for a action plan to deal with such serious flood situation," said Singh.

"Over 26 districts have been affected due to flood situation in Assam. NDRF team is working for rescue and relief work. Assam CM submitted a memorandum, inter ministerial team will study it and decide on further action to be taken by Centre," he added.

He also said that, "State Govt has announced Rs 4 lakh compensation to the victims of Assam Floods."

The minister had earlier reached Guwahati to take stock of the situation as 19 lakh people are reeling due to floods in 22 districts of the state.

He also visited the Bhagatgaon camp to meet flood-affected residents in Morigaon district.

The rise in the water level of the Brahmaputra River has made Assam's condition critical and many districts have been submerged. The flood situation worsened as new areas have been inundated.

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.

As per reports, the administration has rescued all affected families as surging water breached Bongaon embankment at Majuli River Island in Jorhat.

All the rescued people have been provided shelter in embankments.

-With ANI inputs