Guwahati, July 23 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the severe flood situation in the state and informed him that an inter-ministerial Central team will soon visit Assam to assess the damage caused by the deluge.
Sharing the development on social media, CM Sarma said the Home Minister enquired about the flood situation and assured that the Central team would conduct an on-ground assessment to determine the extent of the destruction and facilitate the Centre’s support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Expressing gratitude to HM Shah, the Chief Minister said the Centre has extended full support to Assam during one of the state’s worst flood spells in recent years.
The Chief Minister said the flash floods, triggered by cloudbursts in upstream areas and compounded by exceptionally heavy rainfall, have caused widespread devastation across several districts.
He noted that rainfall in parts of the state was recorded at 436 per cent above normal, resulting in flooding even in areas that had not witnessed such disasters in recent memory.
According to the Chief Minister, the floods have affected more than nine lakh people in over 1,800 villages spread across 25 districts.
The disaster has claimed 41 lives so far, while thousands of livestock have also been lost.
He said rescue and evacuation operations are continuing round the clock with the assistance from the Indian Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other state agencies.
Helicopters and boats are being deployed to reach marooned residents in inaccessible areas.
The state government has established more than 148 relief camps, providing shelter to nearly 30,000 displaced people.
Relief teams have distributed food grains, drinking water and other essential supplies, with more than three lakh kilograms of rice and other relief materials already dispatched to the worst-affected districts.
CM Sarma added that the Assam government, in coordination with the Centre, is preparing a comprehensive rehabilitation package for affected families. He also said the state plans to initiate discussions with neighbouring states to strengthen coordination for mitigating the impact of upstream cloudbursts and future flood-related disasters.
–IANS
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