Assam toll reaches 122, Silchar still submerged
GUWAHATI/SILCHAR: Over 2.5 million people were still affected by the floods in Assam, and four more people including two children died by drowning in the past 24 hours, but the situation could improve as less rainfall was reported across the northeastern state. The total deaths due to excessive rainfall and flooding since April rose to 122 on Saturday. On Friday, the total number of affected people was over 3.3 million.
As many as 27 districts out of 35 in the state, including 79 revenue circles and 2,894 villages, were flood-affected on Saturday, according to a bulletin by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
Total of 233,271 persons displaced by flooding remained in 896 relief camps in 22 of affected districts.
Nearly 110 of the camps were in Cachar district alone, with district headquarters Silchar recording over 25,000 persons in relief camps.
A total of 175 boats were pressed into service by the army, NGOS and disaster management authorities to rescue 5,724 marooned people. Cachar recorded 5,487 of these rescues.
Large parts of Silchar town, which has remained submerged under 5-8 feet of water since Monday, remained flooded on Saturday as well. Some parts of the town like Bilpar, Kanakpur, Sonai Road, Das Colony were still under water.
“I thought the flood won’t reach in my area, but now it seems we are going to be the worst-affected people in town,” said Debolina Kar, a resident of Kalimohan Road in Tarapur.
Water level in the Barak River at Lakhipur and Annapurna Ghat was flowing above the danger level, officials said.
Amid the crisis, some local residents reported robberies in flood-affected areas in Silchar.
“Last night we heard that people are shouting for help. I have seen some social media posts about dacoits attacking stranded persons in the town,” said Hrijoy Das Kanungo, a resident of National Highway Road in Silchar.
“We are spending sleepless nights due to this.”
Cachar’s superintendent of police Ramandeep Kaur dismissed these reports as rumours. “We have received few such complaints, but it’s not true,” Kaur said. “Our teams are keeping strict vigil in most part of Silchar.”