As rains continue to batter Assam and parts of the Northeast, more than 6 lakh people across 27 districts in the state have been displaced. On Wednesday, the death toll rose to 9, with one person drowning in floodwaters in Darrang district, a bulletin from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) informed.
It added that the embankments were breached, roads and bridges destroyed, and school buildings damaged in various districts across the state. Nagaon is the worst-affected district where 2.88 lakh people have been affected. Small landslides continued to be reported in the hill district of Dima Hasao as rail and road connectivity was snapped on Monday. Connectivity to the state’s Barak Valley, which comprises the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, has also been disrupted.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said efforts were on to restore connectivity to southern Assam, and that the government had air-dropped 4 metric tonnes of food in Dima Hasao.
Sarma added that the government had decided to run special flights between Silchar (in Cachar district) and Guwahati at a fixed rate of Rs 3,000 per ticket, based on an agreement with regional carrier FlyBig Airline. The decision was taken after prices of air tickets soared to around Rs 30,000 a seat between the two cities, owing to the situation. Sarma said that the flights would give some reprieve to stranded passengers.
Villagers wade through a flooded road in Nagaon district on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)
The Chief Minister further informed that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore for Assam for flood relief measures. Earlier on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take stock of the situation, and assured that the Centre would provide the state with “all possible help”.
Meanwhile, the Assam Forest department has built around 40 artificial ‘highlands’ to provide shelter to animals in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).
In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, incessant rain triggered landslides snapping road connectivity in various parts of the state. Road connectivity between Itanagar and Ziro in Lower Subansiri district was disrupted after a massive landslide blocked the road, a PTI report said.
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