Seven more deaths added on Tuesday took the death toll in the Assam floods to 75 with no missing reports so far, though the number of affected population came down to 3.32 lakh across seven districts, official bulletin said.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority added that all the fatalities were reported from Nazira revenue circle of Sivasagar. Seven districts Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Kamrup Metropolitan are still reeling under the deluge, affecting 21 revenue circles and 622 villages, it added.
As per the current data, the flooded population in the state stood at 3,32,639, with Charaideo being the worst hit where 1,42,756 people are impacted, followed by Sivasagar and Jorhat. 81 relief camps have been installed under which 32,477 displaced people have been taking shelter. Another 34 relief distribution centres have also been established, the bulletin stated.
A multidisciplinary disaster management force including Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, along with civil volunteers, has continued to carry out relief and rescue operations.
To assess the flood damage in Upper Assam, a five-member central delegation led by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Joint Secretary M. Ramachandrudu visited Sivasagar on Monday. Accompanied by state ministers Keshab Mahanta and Bimal Borah along with local officials, the team reviewed the ground situation in the state’s eastern regions.
Meanwhile, health authorities have begun disinfection and fogging drives across inundated qreas to prevent water borne diseases from spreading.
CM Himanta Biswas on Tuesday evening announced a relaxation in the norms for providing ex gratia assistance to the next of kin killed or missing in the flood.
“Over and above the Rs 4 lakh ex gratia per victim that is paid at present, we have decided to give an additional Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” Sarma said. “For people missing in the floods, the government will provide Rs 9 lakh to their families if their bodies are not recovered within a month. The circle officer will be authorised to issue the required certificate, he added.”
Despite the water levels have been receeding, the Dhansiri river has been continues to flow above danger mark at Numaligarh in Golaghat district.In terms of agricultural damage, crop area of 45,341.98 hectares has been submerged following the flood, the bulletin added.