Daijiworld Media Network – Guwahati
Guwahati, Jul 22: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Wednesday, with at least 21 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, taking this year's flood-related death toll to 31. More than 5.64 lac people across 16 districts have been affected by the deluge, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
The worst-hit Sivasagar district accounted for 13 of the latest deaths, while five people died in Charaideo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he would visit the worst-affected districts to assess the flood situation and review ongoing relief and rescue operations.
"The recent Assam floods, caused by the cloudburst upstream, have brought immense hardship to our people. I will be visiting flood-affected areas and relief camps in Charaideo, Nazira, Sivasagar, Sonari, Jorhat and Teok to review the relief operations," Sarma said in a social media post.
According to the ASDMA, more than 5,64,600 people in Golaghat, Kamrup, Hojai, Dibrugarh, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Nagaon, Charaideo, Kamrup (Metro), Jorhat, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar have been affected by the floods.
A total of 872 villages across 44 revenue circles remain inundated. Sivasagar is the worst-affected district with 3,59,535 affected residents, followed by Jorhat with 87,662 and Charaideo with 72,646.
Authorities have set up 71 relief camps sheltering 12,284 displaced people, while 202 relief distribution centres are providing assistance to flood-hit residents.
The Dikhou and Disang rivers are flowing above the highest flood level at Sivasagar town and Nanglamuraghat. The Brahmaputra at Nematighat, Burhidihing at Khowang, and the Dhansiri (South) at Golaghat and Numaligarh are also flowing above the danger mark.
Relief and rescue operations are being carried out by the Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire and Emergency Services.
Meanwhile, train services remained disrupted for the second consecutive day after floodwaters submerged railway tracks in several areas. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has suspended services on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections and cancelled, diverted or short-terminated several trains. Additional special trains have been introduced to assist stranded passengers, while some regular express services between Mariani and Guwahati continue to operate.
To ensure uninterrupted communication in the worst-affected districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat, the Department of Telecommunications has activated the Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) facility until July 24, allowing subscribers to access services through any available telecom network if their own provider's network is unavailable.