GUWAHATI:
Death toll due to floods in Assam has reached 14, with four fresh deaths reported in the last 24 hours, of which two were children, an official bulletin from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said on May 20.
While two persons met watery grave at Katigorah in Cachar district, North Lakhimpur and Kampur in Nagaon district reported one death each.
According to the ASDMA, a total of 7,11,905 people of 2,251 villages under 84 revenue circles in 29 districts have been affected in the first wave of the floods.
Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Charaideo, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup (M), West Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur, South Salmara, Tinsukia, Udalguri, Darrang and Jorhat are among the affected districts, the ASDMA said.
Among them, Nagaon is the worst affected district with 3,36,418 people of 204 villages affected under Kampur, Nagaon and Raha revenue circles, followed by Cachar district where 1,66,626 have been affected in 365 villages under Katigorah, Silchar, Udharbond, Sonai and Lakhipur revenue circle.
Meanwhile, given the grim flood situation, authorities have set up 362 relief camps and 128 relief distribution centres in the affected districts, and a total of 74,704 people, including 12,974 children are taking shelter in these relief camps.
To assess the damage and to put in place precautionary and relief measures, state minister for water resources Pijush Hazarika held a review meeting at the conference hall of the deputy commissioner’s office in the presence of MLA Sootea Padma Hazarika, MLA Rangapara Krishna Kamal Tanti, deputy commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra, SP Sushanta Biswa Sarma, and other senor officers.