Assam flood situation turns grim, relief camp women sing of their struggles

The miserable life, people have been living in relief camps in the flood-affected areas across Assam amid the coronavirus pandemic has doubled the pain. Women staying in the Boraichuk Lower Primary School temporary flood relief centre in Tinsukia district have chosen music to express their painful experience.  They narrated their pain through kheri geet, a traditional song of Moran community.

The flood situation in Assam has grew grim. A total of 21 districts are reeling under floodwater leaving more than 14 lakh people homeless across the state, according to the daily flood report released by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority on July 1^st, 2020.

Several rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra in different parts of the state are flowing above danger level, causing floods and consequently leaving thousands of families homeless.

“It is not just a song. It is a narration of the miserable condition of the flood affected people amid this coronavirus pandemic,” Nilima Barua, 68, told the INSIDENE.

As per the latest data, the ravaging flood has affected a total of 14,95,321 people and 87,018.97 hectares of crop land across 2197 villages in 21 districts in the state – Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Udalguri, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Kamrup Tinsukia among other districts. The death toll in the state has gone up to 33 as on July 1^st, 2020.

Also read: Assam: Flood Death Toll Increased To 33, Over 15 Lakh Still Affected

A total of 8,00,189 big animals, 4,29,708 small and 8,03,449 poultry have also been affected by the flood. Meanwhile, 254 relief camps have been installed in three districts. In the relief camps, there are so far 15,289 people.

Talking about the effect of flood and erosion, a retired professor on condition of anonymity said, “If the flood and erosion issues of Assam are not solved, it may bring adverse political impact in long term.”

In Tinsukia’s Guijaan and peripheral areas of Dibru Saikhowa are badly affected by the rising flood waters. Heavy erosion has been seen in the area while in Rangia, floodwaters have increased and parts of Kamrup have been badly affected. In Barkhetri, Jurathal Village many families are trapped in the floodwaters while in Dibrugarh, Mohnaghat, Tingkhang and Bhongali have witnessed heavy erosion in the Brahmaputra region.

A total of 107 camps are affected and six are vacated in the Kaziranga National Park due to flood while 12 camps are affected in the Orang National Park.

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