Shafaqna India: The flood situation in Assam continued to cast a grim shadow on Thursday, with 14 districts bearing the brunt of the deluge and more than 1.6 lakh people battling the impact of overflowing rivers and submerged landscapes. The death toll climbed to 95 after six more fatalities were reported.
Six deaths were recorded on Wednesday, with Sivasagar and Biswanath reporting two fatalities each, while Golaghat and Morigaon witnessed one death each.
Sivasagar emerged as the worst-affected district, accounting for 50 deaths so far, while neighbouring Charaideo recorded 21 fatalities. The toll stood at nine in Jorhat, five in Golaghat, three in Dhemaji, two each in Karbi Anglong and Biswanath, and one each in Sonitpur, Kamrup Metropolitan and Morigaon.
The relentless waters continued to disrupt lives across Biswanath, Charaideo, Darrang, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts, leaving over 1,60,600 people affected.
Sivasagar accounted for the largest share of those impacted, with nearly 57,000 people affected, followed by Golaghat with around 34,000 and Jorhat with nearly 25,000. The number of affected people had stood at 1.22 lakh across five districts on Tuesday, highlighting the rapidly widening scale of the crisis.
As rescue and relief efforts continued, more than 100 relief camps and distribution centres remained operational across six districts, providing shelter and assistance to over 44,500 people. Nearly 17,000 hectares of crop land remained submerged, while floodwaters damaged embankments, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure in several areas.
Union health minister J.P. Nadda, who visited some of the worst-hit regions on Wednesday on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described the scale of destruction as immense and cautioned that restoring normalcy would take time.
During his visit to Nepalikhuti in Sivasagar district, located along the Assam-Nagaland border, Nadda witnessed the devastation caused by the latest wave of floods that began on 19 July. He later held a high-level review meeting with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior state officials to assess relief, rehabilitation and healthcare measures.
“I have visited the flood-hit Nepalikhuti area. Along with CM Sarma, I have witnessed the scale of devastation. The damage is so huge that it will take time for normalcy to return,” Nadda told reporters after meeting affected families.
Assuring flood victims of continued support, the Union minister said the Centre stood firmly with the people of Assam and would extend all possible assistance during the recovery process.
