Assam floods: CM begins tour of worst-hit districts as affected population drops to 1.78 lakh

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, August 2, began a tour of the state's worst flood-affected districts to review relief operations and oversee preparations for damage assessment, even as the overall flood situation showed signs of improvement with the affected population declining to 1.78 lakh.

According to the latest Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin, 349 villages across Golaghat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Bajali, Dhemaji, Sonitpur and Jorhat districts remain affected by the floods. The flood toll remained unchanged at 82, with no fresh deaths reported in the past 24 hours.

Charaideo continues to be the worst-hit district, with 75,199 people affected, followed by Sivasagar, where 58,824 people remain impacted. The state had reported nearly 1.92 lakh affected people across five districts on Friday.

Relief operations are continuing across the affected districts, with 44 relief camps sheltering around 15,000 displaced people. Another 17 relief distribution centres are assisting 5,569 people.

The floods have also damaged agriculture, with 15,060 hectares of cropland still submerged. According to ASDMA, 1,543 animals have been washed away while another 6,765 livestock remain affected.

Before leaving for the flood-hit areas, Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for extending assistance to the state, including the sanction of Rs 379.35 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the deployment of Inter-Ministerial Central Teams to assess the damage.

"In a short while from now, I will be reaching Dibrugarh and thereafter to the flood-affected areas to meet the people, oversee ongoing relief efforts and lay the groundwork for a foolproof assessment exercise to ensure appropriate compensation to the affected," the chief minister said in a social media post.

A day earlier, Sarma chaired a virtual review meeting with Deputy Commissioners of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat, the four worst-affected districts, to assess ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures.

According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the Deputy Commissioners have been directed to expedite the submission of lists of affected families to enable the release of financial assistance from August 3, ensure uninterrupted distribution of relief kits, complete damage assessments of educational institutions before schools reopen on August 10, and submit details of damaged Namghars for restoration support.

The CMO also announced that a comprehensive statewide flood damage assessment will begin on August 9.