Guwahati, Aug 1: The flood situation in Assam showed signs of improvement on Saturday, but nearly 1.93 lakh people continued to remain affected across five districts, while two more deaths took the state’s flood-related death toll this year to 82, officials said.
Sivasagar, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon and Charaideo districts remained affected by the floods. According to official figures, 1,92,799 people were impacted, with Charaideo emerging as the worst-hit district, where 77,456 people were affected.Sivasagar reported 63,492 affected people, followed by Jorhat with 34,067. The flood situation had improved compared with July 30, when more than two lakh people across eight districts were affected.
However, authorities said the Dikhow River at Sivasagar and the Dhansiri River near Numaligarh in Golaghat continued to remain in a severe flood situation. Residents living near the rivers have been advised to remain cautious and avoid approaching dangerous areas.
Around 13,000 people were taking shelter in 54 relief camps, while 26 relief distribution centres were providing essential assistance to 5,384 people. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other agencies continued rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.Officials reported two additional flood-related deaths, one each from Sivasagar and Charaideo, taking the total number of deaths linked to this year’s floods to 82.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government would hold meetings with public and private insurance companies on August 5 to seek the speedy settlement of claims related to damage to insured vehicles, livestock and other property.
The government will also meet non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and request them to provide repayment relief to borrowers in the severely affected districts.The state had earlier decided to offer a six-month moratorium on loan repayments to flood-affected borrowers in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat districts.The government is also working to complete damage assessments quickly so that financial assistance for repairs and restoration can be released without delay.
In another relief measure, the Chief Minister said ₹41.67 crore had been approved under the pending state subsidy component of the PM Surya Ghar scheme for 9,289 beneficiaries in the flood-affected areas.
The Power Department has been directed to ensure that the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited transfers the approved subsidy directly to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts by August 4.The state government said relief, rehabilitation and restoration efforts would continue as authorities monitor river levels and assess the damage caused by the floods.
