Water Level Receding But Over 22 Lakh Still Affected In Assam Floods!

The state of floods in Assam is showing signs of improvement as water levels in many rivers continue to deteriorate while more than 22 lakhs are affected across the province, officials said on Monday.

However, the situation in Silchar, the capital of Cachar district, is still sour as many areas are still flooded, officials said.

The number has risen to 126 after five people died on Sunday and two went missing.

The number of people affected dropped to 22.21 lakh in 28 districts on Sunday and the figure was 25.10 lakh the previous day, according to a statement issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The rivers Kopili, Barak and Kushiara flow beyond the level of danger.

In the city of Silchar, which has been submerged for more than a week, efforts are under way to provide assistance to those areas where authorities have not yet reached a plane to unload bags of food, drinking water and other essentials for Indian Air Force helicopters.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) monitors and conducts research to refine the flood map of Silchar city to determine the extent of damage in various locations and to help take future mitigation measures, said Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli.

The Distric Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), UNICEF and OXFAM, an international charity, have started using boat water purifiers to provide drinking water to people in need in Silchar and surrounding areas, he added.

Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited and reviewed Silchar twice within two days on Sunday and reviewed relief and rescue operations in the city.

Silchar was heavily affected by the floods, following a landslide in Betkundi, and Sarma suspected that the floods in the town were "man-made".

The government has sent 3575 packets of food to Silchar from Guwahati and Jorhat.

At that time, 2,542 villages under 75 revenue circles across the country were still affected by the current floods while 2,17,413 people took refuge in 564 relief camps, the ASDMA said in a statement.

Major erosion has been reported from Bongaigaon, Charaideo, Chirang, Hailakandi, Morigaon, Sonitpur, South Salmara and Udalguri, he added.