Guwahati, June 29 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said a sudden surge of upstream floodwaters has caused widespread devastation in several villages near Jonai in Dhemaji district, as the state’s flood situation continued to worsen with over 45,000 people affected across seven districts.
Sharing photographs of the affected areas on social media, the Chief Minister said villages including Madhupur, Arun Chapori, Jamuguri Siyari, Uluwani, Majgaon and Malan have been severely impacted by the flash floods.
“This is the situation due to the sudden surge of upstream floodwater across several villages near Jonai in Assam’s Dhemaji district,” Sarma said.
He said the state government has deployed teams on the ground and that ensuring people’s safety remains its foremost priority.
“My team is on the ground, and the safety of our people is our biggest priority right now. The damage and loss to livelihoods is extensive. We are parallelly working towards a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for those affected,” the Chief Minister said.
Sarma asserted that the Assam government stands firmly with all those battling the calamity and would extend every possible assistance during the relief and rehabilitation process.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 45,839 people have been affected across Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur and Nalbari districts.
Floodwaters have inundated 257 villages under 14 revenue circles, while nearly 4,279 hectares of cropland remain submerged. Dhemaji remains the worst-hit district, accounting for over 41,000 of the affected population.
The ASDMA said one person remains missing in Dhemaji, while no flood-related deaths have been reported in the current wave.
Rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and district administrations are underway, with 157 people and 68 animals evacuated so far.
The floods have also damaged public infrastructure, with nine houses completely destroyed and 16 roads, four bridges and an embankment affected by erosion or floodwaters. A bridge at Kemi in Dhemaji was washed away, disrupting connectivity.
Authorities have established 12 relief camps and distribution centres sheltering 655 displaced people, while relief assistance is being provided to more than 36,800 people outside the camps as the state government continues to monitor the evolving flood situation.
–IANS
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