Assam flood situation grim; 29L hit

Guwahati, July 1: Assam’s flood situation worsened on Friday as 14 more people lost their lives taking the toll to 173 while a population of 29.70 lakh in 30 districts were affected, officials said.Many parts of Cachar district's severely affected Silchar town are still waterlogged.

Of the fresh fatalities, six were reported in Cachar district, three in Nagaon, two in Barpeta and one each in Karimganj, Kokrajhar and Lakhimpur, according to a bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). The total number of affected people declined slightly to 29.70 lakh from the previous day's 29.80 lakh.

Rivers such as the Brahmaputra, Beki, Kopili, Barak and the Kushiyara are flowing above the danger level at several places though most of them are maintaining a receding trend.

Meanwhile, a visiting Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) went to some of the flood-hit districts to assess the damage, according to an official release. The team members in two groups visited seven districts and discussed the situation with the respective district administration.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma distributed ex-gratia of Rs four lakh each to the next of kin of 10 of the 24 people who died due to the flood in Cachar district.

The process of granting relief to family members of the other deceased will be taken up in a phased manner.

The CM also visited the breached Bethukundi dyke, which led to the devastation in Silchar town, reviewed the reconstruction activities being undertaken on breached locations and instructed officials to ensure that good quality raw material is used.

Mr Sarma, in his third visit to Barak Valley within 10 days, also held a meeting with Cachar district administration to review measures being taken to deal with the situation.

“I am happy to see a marked improvement in the flood scenario,” he said.