Ten dead, 3.63 lakh affected as Assam flood situation worsens; Army joins NDRF in rescue ops

Guwahati: Over 3.6 lakh people were affected by floods in several districts of Assam as multiple agencies, including the Army, are carrying out relief and rescue operations, officials said on Tuesday.

As for casualties, according to a PTI report late on Monday night, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) informed that two men and two girls drowned in floodwaters in Jorhat district, while another person died in Karbi Anglong district. Besides, one person each was reported missing in Charaideo and Karbi Anglong districts. With these fatalities, the total number of deaths in this year's floods has increased to 10, the ASDMA said.

Meanwhile, train services remained affected for the second day on Tuesday as floodwaters inundated tracks in parts of Upper Assam, with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelling, short-terminating or diverting several trains and also announcing special trains for stranded passengers.

In worst-hit Sivasagar district, where nearly 1.58 lakh people have been affected, the Dikhow River flowed above the "extreme flood level", the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

A total of 101 relief camps and relief distribution centres have been set up across 11 districts, where 9,606 displaced people are currently taking shelter, the officials said.

The ASDMA urged people to stay away from the river due to continuous rise in its water level. Several major rivers in the state were in spate, with floodwaters inundating roads and embankments in several places.

More than 3,62,900 people have been affected in Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts, the officials said.

The death toll in this year's floods stood at 10, while two persons were missing in Charaideo and Karbi Anglong districts.

Army personnel have been deployed in Upper Assam to assist the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services and district authorities in rescue and relief operations, they said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said cabinet ministers have been stationed in the affected districts to supervise relief measures, while MPs and MLAs from the flood-hit areas have also been asked to remain on the ground.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that due to severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district, train services on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections have been suspended.

The NFR said additional special trains are being run to assist passengers affected by the disruptions.

"These special additional trains will run till Friday and is expected to provide significant relief to stranded passengers. Moreover, regular services of some other express trains between Mariani and Guwahati are also operational," the NFR official added.