Assam floods: Waters recede, but mud-filled, damaged homes keep families from returning

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 29 said that although floodwaters have receded from most affected areas, thousands of people are still unable to return home as many houses have been damaged or remain filled with mud and silt.

The chief minister said the flood situation had improved after heavy rainfall stopped on July 21, but the scale of destruction continued to pose major challenges for the affected population.

“People cannot return to their homes as their houses have either been damaged or filled with mud and silt. It is still difficult to reach some areas as roads have been blocked with mud that was carried down from the hills of Nagaland along with the water,” Sarma told reporters.

He said the floods had largely subsided and the situation was expected to improve in the coming days, but added that the immediate priority was to address the hardships faced by affected families and support their recovery.

“The flood situation has improved, but the damage has been huge. It is important now how we resolve the misery of our people,” the chief minister said.

Responding to a question on whether Assam would seek assistance from the international community, Sarma said the state did not require foreign aid.

“We do not need international aid. The central and state governments are competent to deal with the situation,” he said, adding that donations were being received from different parts of the country and detailed information would be released soon.

Earlier in the day, Sarma flagged off a BJP delegation carrying flood relief materials worth Rs 16 crore, collected through voluntary contributions from party workers, for flood-affected people in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts.

The Assam BJP will also provide relief materials to affected families in Jorhat and Golaghat districts. State BJP president Dilip Saikia, several ministers, MLAs and party workers were present during the flagging-off programme.

The relief consignment includes 1.8 lakh mekhela chadors, 1.8 lakh children’s T-shirts and 1.5 lakh mosquito nets.

Sarma thanked various organisations, NGOs and individuals who had extended assistance to flood-hit communities across the state.

He further said that, following directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he would hold a meeting with representatives of banks operating in Assam on Thursday to discuss special support measures for people who had taken loans and were affected by the floods.

Meanwhile, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an NDA ally, also dispatched relief materials for flood-affected people in eastern Assam. AGP president and state cabinet minister Atul Bora flagged off the relief vehicles from Guwahati.

Senior party leaders, including MPs Phani Bhusan Choudhury and Birendra Prasad Baishya, vice-president Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjya and others, will oversee the distribution of relief materials in the affected districts.