Flood situation improves in Assam as affected population drops to 1.30 lakh

The flood situation in Assam showed signs of improvement on July 21, with the number of affected people decreasing to 1.30 lakh across 10 districts. Officials reported that 23 revenue circles and 423 villages remain impacted by the deluge.

Nagaon district continues to be the worst hit, with over 72,000 people still affected. Other affected districts include Kamrup, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Kamrup Metropolitan, and Cachar.

Despite the improvement, two major rivers - the Brahmaputra in Dhubri and the Disang in Nanglamuraghat - continue to flow above the danger level. More than 9,000 people are currently taking shelter in 46 relief camps, while 18 distribution centres are serving over 21,000 citizens.

The death toll from this year's floods, landslides, lightning, and storms stands at 113. Significant damage to embankments, houses, roads, and other infrastructure has been reported across various districts.

An eight-member inter-ministerial central team, led by Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Mihir Kumar, concluded a three-day visit to assess the flood damage. During discussions with state officials, Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Tiwari briefed the team on the flood situation, noting that the state was hit by two waves of flooding, with the first triggered by cyclone Remal.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority CEO Gyandendra Dev Tripathi requested the central team to declare the two flood waves as calamities of a severe nature and recommended the release of Rs 500 crore as interim relief.

As Assam continues to grapple with the aftermath of the floods, authorities are working to provide relief and assess the full extent of the damage across the affected regions.