Relief work and rehabilitation of Assam flood victims in full swing

Majauli (Assam), July 18 (ANI): Though people in many parts of the country still await the arrival of monsoon, the rains in Assam have been a bad news; causing havoc in different parts of the State.

With incessant rainfall, Brahmaputra and its tributaries have crossed the danger mark, and affected over half-a-million people in 10 districts of Assam.

Authorities at Majauli, the largest river island in the world, have begun relief work and set up around six to seven makeshift camps.

In Majuli, almost the entire island was flooded and a villager was swept away.

Normal life has been crippled as large parts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh districts, Jorhat in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam and Barpeta, Kamrup (Guwahati), Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa in lower Assam have submerged by the swollen rivers.

Personnel of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) are engaged in rescue operations.

"Due to heavy rainfall almost the entire 'Noboy' village is submerged by flood from Dekhow and Desang rivers. The Government is providing all the possible help to tackle the problem and is supplying articles such as pulses, rice, salt, and candles. Even goodnight coils have been provided to all the affected people. Several NGOs have also provided various necessary items to them. Doctors with their teams have visited all the relief camps and extended their services," said Bijoy Kolita, a local resident in Assam.

"We are distributing rice and cereals for the people affected by the flood waters besides other relief material," said S. Dhiren, a relief worker, Assam.

The floodwaters of Brahmaputra River have cut a treacherous swathe across Assam breaching more than 54 vital embankments, besides sweeping away roads, bridges and stretches of highways.

The situation remains grim in Upper Assam with vast tracts of land under water.

Thousands of people are staying in makeshift camps with the state government providing food and other essentials to the displaced people, besides healthcare facilities.

Various steps are also being taken to prevent the outbreak of water borne diseases.

"About 40 villages with a population of 41,000 have been affected by the current flood. Everyone knows Majuli is a river island and is prone to flood. As per relief manual, 4 Gaon Panchayat were completely affected and some were partially affected. We have started distributing relief materials," said Deepak Kr. Handique, Sub Divisional Officer in Majuli Sub-Division.

The 2,906-kilometres long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers, which crosses Tibet and Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Last year too, millions of people were displaced by flash floods in the state. By Vaschipem Kamodang (ANI)