Assam Floods: Death Toll Reaches 75 as Relief Efforts Intensify
Current Situation of Assam Floods
Upper Assam Flood. (Photo: PTI)
Guwahati, July 29: The death toll from the floods in Assam has tragically increased to 75, with seven additional fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, despite a decrease in the number of affected individuals to 3.32 lakh.
The state administration has raised the compensation amount for the families of the deceased to Rs 9 lakh and has eased the requirements for claiming this assistance, according to officials on Wednesday.
Seven districts, including Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Kamrup Metropolitan, continue to suffer from the flooding, impacting 21 revenue circles and 622 villages.
Charaideo has been identified as the most severely affected district, with 1.42 lakh individuals impacted, followed by Sivasagar with 97,074 and Jorhat with 57,371.
The fatalities reported on Tuesday were from the Nazira revenue circle in Sivasagar district, bringing the total death toll for this year's floods to 75.
Earlier, six districts were reported to be affected, with a total of 4.45 lakh individuals impacted.
Currently, 81 relief camps are operational in the affected areas, providing shelter to 32,477 displaced individuals, along with 34 relief distribution centers in operation.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized the importance of supporting affected children during this crisis.
“Our priority is to create a supportive environment for children in relief camps. We are establishing dedicated spaces for learning and play to ensure that their childhood remains unaffected by the floods,” the Chief Minister stated in a social media post, sharing images of children engaged in educational activities.
During a Facebook Live session on Tuesday evening, Sarma announced the relaxation of requirements for ex gratia payments to the families of those who have died or are missing due to the floods.
He mentioned that the necessity of submitting a post-mortem report to receive the one-time government grant has been waived, allowing a certificate from the circle officer to suffice.
“In addition to the existing Rs 4 lakh ex gratia per victim, we will provide an extra Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund,” he added.
For those missing in the floods, Sarma announced that an ex gratia of Rs 9 lakh would be granted to the families if the bodies are not recovered within a month, with the circle officer authorized to issue the necessary certification.
Families severely impacted in the four hardest-hit districts—Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat—will receive an interim amount of Rs 15,000 to assist with their immediate needs, according to the Chief Minister.
Additionally, students from Sivasagar and Charaideo districts will receive support for free uniforms and textbooks, along with financial assistance for purchasing books for higher secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate studies.
Relief and rescue operations are ongoing, involving multiple agencies, including the Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, and civil volunteers.
The floods have submerged a crop area of 45,341.98 hectares, with reports of damage to various infrastructures such as homes, cow sheds, schools, and anganwadi centers across the affected districts.
To ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity, the intra circle roaming (ICR) facility has been extended in the flood-affected regions of Sivasagar until 11:59 PM on July 30 or until further notice. This facility will also be available to all in-roamers in the district, allowing subscribers of different telecom providers to stay connected even if their own network is down.