Floods wreak havoc on 31 out of 33 districts in Assam

Heavy rains have caused the Brahmaputra and its tributaries to overflow their banks in Assam. Additionally, non-stop showers have led to large parts of Assam being inundated under several feet of water. As of today, 31 out of the state’s 33 districts are affected by floods.

So far 84 people are reported to have died and countless others are missing due to the floods. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, more than 3,000 villages have been affected.

According to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, over 70 lakh people have been affected by the floods. Two days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had over a telephonic conversation inquired about the flood situation. This is a double whammy for Assam as it is already reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic.

As many as 25,29,312 people have reportedly been either temporarily or permanently displaced. Over 48,000 families are huddled together in 276 disaster relief shelter camps with most of their meagre possessions, property and livestock having been washed away. A total of 11,12,138 hectares of land is currently inundated, much of it, agricultural land where standing crop has been destroyed.

Goalpara, where a severe flood alert has been sounded, remains one of the worst affected districts. Heavy rain and flooding had also been reported from Dhubri, Barpeta, Morigaon, Darang, Sonitpur and Nagaon, and large swathes of the Kaziranga national park are severely inundated. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC) the Brahmaputra river levels are expected to rise further. Already the Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, Beki, Kusiyara and Sankosh have flowed above the danger mark in many places.