Assam flood situation remained critical on Monday with a population of nearly 43 lakh affected in 33 districts while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a review meeting with cabinet colleagues and deputy commissioners and directed airdropping of food and other materials in areas where the boats have not been able to reach due to heavy flooding.
Two policemen, including an Officer-in-Charge of a police station in Nagaon district, were washed away and their bodies recovered, taking the total death toll in the state due to floods and landslides to 73.
The Chief Minister, in a video conference with ministers, senior state government officials and deputy commissioners, directed that top priority must be given to relief and rescue operations and the officials should not make any delay in this citing procedural rules.
”Airdropping of relief materials must be done In areas where there is heavy flooding and army, NDRF or SDRF boats have not been able to reach”, he said.
He said that for the next few days the district officials should not concern themselves with procedural rules but concentrate on providing relief to the affected people and if ”certain areas are not covered in the relief manual, we will ensure that they are covered under State Owned Priority Development (SOPD) schemes and CM’s Relief Fund”.
Sarma directed the deputy commissioners to keep static teams of the health department ready and ensure daily visits of doctors to the relief camps while ambulances must be kept at standby mode to shift patients in serious condition to nearby hospitals.
Night shifts must be augmented in all district hospitals and special care must be taken of senior citizens, women and children, he said.
Sarma directed the authorities to plan circle wise mega health camps with the help of nine medical colleges in the state to ensure that post-flood diseases are effectively dealt with.
He also directed the Deputy Commissioner to start immediate assessment of damages as soon as the flood water begins to subside and complete it at the earliest.
He also directed all guardian ministers and secretaries, except those required for urgent flood related work at the secretariat, to remain in their respective district headquarters to oversee flood relief work.
The state has been reeling under devastating floods for the last one week with 127 revenue circles and 5,137 villages affected in 33 districts, according to a bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Nearly 1.90 lakh people have taken shelters in 744 relief camps while relief materials were distributed to other affected populations who
are not taking shelters in relief camps through 403 nos. of relief distribution centres/ points opened temporarily.
According to the bulletin of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the river Kopili was flowing above the high flood level at Kampur in Nagaon district while the Brahmaputra at Nimatighat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Kamrup, Goalpara and Dhubri along with the rivers Subansiri, Puthimari, Pagladia, Manas, Beki Barak and Kushiara are flowing above the danger level.
Urban flooding was also reported from Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Goalpara, Kamrup (Metro), Karimganj, Nalbari and Udalguri while landslides had occurred at
Cachar, Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup (M)
and Karimganj during the last 24 hours.
Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated so far by the NDRF, SDRF, police and other agencies
In Kaziranga National Park, eight animals, including seven hog deers,and a leopard, have died due to drowning and vehicle hit while ten, including eight hog deers and a python have been rescued by forest officials.
