GUWAHATI, July 24 - The flood situation in the State continues to be grim with a population of nearly 28 lakh affected by the deluge in 26 districts. The number of villages/localities affected is 2,543. The death toll in the flood increased to 96 with three more fatalities reported from Morigaon, Kokrajhar and Barpeta districts.
The flood waters have also inundated 1,22,573 hectares of cropland.
A total of 50,136 flood-affected people are taking shelter in 496 relief camps across the State.
Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind today talked to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone and took stock of flood situation in the State. The President expressed solidarity with the people of Assam and hoped that the difficult times would soon be over.
Kovind also flagged off nine trucks carrying Red Cross relief supplies to the flood- and Covid-affected States of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The materials include tarpaulin, tents, clothing, blankets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, buckets and bed-sheets, etc.
During the conversation, the Chief Minister apprised the President that along with flood, the State at the same time is fighting against COVID-19, erosion, storm, landslides, African swine fever and gas well fire at Baghjan in Tinsukia district. The Chief Minister informed that huge areas, including farm lands and houses, had been severely affected by flood and erosion in the State.
�The government machinery has been put in high alert. The district administrations have made adequate arrangements for sheltering the affected people and sufficient measures are taken for the children and elderly,� the Chief Minister said.
Expressing solidarity with the affected people, the President said that the nation today stood with the people of Assam who are going through a very difficult time. He also hoped that the challenging times would soon be over and normalcy would return to the State.
According to the daily ASDMA bulletin today, the river Brahmaputra is flowing above danger level at Neamatighat (Jorhat), Tezpur (Sonitpur), Guwahati (Kamrup Metro), Goalpara (Goalpara), and Dhubri (Dhubri). The Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat); Jia Bharali at NT Road Crossing (Sonitpur); Kopili at Kampur (Nagaon), Dharamtul (Nagaon); Beki at Road Bridge (Barpeta); Kushiyara at Karimganj (Karimganj) and Sankosh at Golakganj (Dhubri) were also flowing above the danger mark.
The affected districts are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, West Karbi Anglong and Cachar.
A total of 19,36,149 big animals, 4,65,781 small animals and 9,14,936 poultry have been affected by the floods so far.
