Floodwaters have receded during the past 24 hours in Assam but 50,470 people are still taking shelter in relief camps in different districts.
No fresh death was reported on Sunday. The toll was 82 till Saturday.
A statement of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said on Sunday, “As on today, a total of 1,348 villages in 50 revenue circles of 17 districts — Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Cachar —have floodwaters affecting a population of 16,19,044.”
Altogether 522 relief camps are operational in Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Dhubri, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon and Jorhat districts with 50,470 inmates and 28 relief distribution centres open in Sonitpur, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Kamrup and Morigaon districts.
The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Neematighat (Jorhat) and Dhubri, the Disang at Nanglamuraghat (Sivasagar), the Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing (Sonitpur) and the Kushiara at Karimganj.
State Disaster Response Force and local administration have deployed 30 boats for rescue operations.
A large number of schools are still being used in relief camps posing a question before the education department on how to resume classes from Thursday after the monthlong summer vacation.
A primary teacher organisation, Sodou Asom Prathomik Sikshak Santha, on Sunday urged the government to repair the schools which have been damaged by floods, within three months.
There have been reports from various districts of agricultural land being buried under sand during the two-week floods rendering them unsuitable for cultivation. An agriculture department official said assessment on the actual damage was on.
Prices of vegetables and fish have soared after floodwaters damaged kharif crops and inundated fisheries.
Bongaigaon deputy commissioner Adil Khan said, “Floodwaters have receded from most areas and immediate temporary restoration of damaged infrastructure is going on. Medical teams and veterinary teams are conducting camps all over the district to curb any disease outbreak.”
“Kurichu dam regularly releases water. We also continuously follow up with them and get details. Since all major rivers are below the danger level now and weather is clear, there is no problem.”
Project officer of the Barpeta District Disaster Management Authority, Nandita Dutta, said, “All the major rivers are flowing under the danger level. The situation has considerably improved. There was no rainfall today and floodwaters will recede within three days if there is no further rain.”
Dibrugarh Unicef WASH consultant Shreya Bhuyan Jha distributed water filters to 163 flood-affected of Itakhuli and Mattak Kaibarta Gaon under Kalakhuwa gaon panchayat on Saturday.
In Goalpara district, 2,000 people are still taking shelter in 16 schools.
- Additional reporting by Abinash Kalita in Guwahati, Vinod Kumar Singh in Dhemaji and Sofikul Ahmed in Golapara
