Assam flood: 3.53 lakh affected in Bajali district as mayhem continues

New Delhi, Jun 19: Over 3.52 lakh people have been affected in Assam's Bajali by the current spell of the flood, news agency ANI reported. Thousands have left their villages under the Bhabanipur assembly constituency after flood waters of the Pahumara river submerged several villages.

The PWD road connecting Bhabanipur to Barpeta and a thousand bighas of cropland in the district are submerged due to floods. Speaking with ANI, a farmer of the Loukuchi Pathar area Nurul Islam said, "I had taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh from the bank for cultivation, but the flood waters have damaged all my crops. Now, I am totally helpless. In this situation, how will I repay the bank loan now? I am currently taking a shelter on the road with my family as the water level due to the flood that entered my house of about 5-6 feet. We had lost everything in this flood."

The report claims that over 300 families have taken shelter near the railway track line in the Tanaltari area in the Bajali district after their houses were inundated by the flood waters.

Meanwhile, the district administration, Fire and Emergency Services, State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and the Indian Army are engaged in the relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit areas of the district. Officer of Fire and Emergency Services Abhishek Sinha said that, so far, they have rescued nearly 500 people from the different flood-hit areas in the state.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 173 villages of the Bajali district are reeling under flood waters.

The devastating floods caused by incessant rain in Assam has affected nearly 31 lakh people in 32 districts, while eight more people lost their lives on Saturday taking the toll to 63, officials told PTI news.

A total of 18.94 lakh people were affected in 28 districts of the state on Friday.

The toll in the current second wave of floods and landslides in the state has increased to 63 as two deaths each were reported from Barpeta and Karimganj while one each died in Darrang, Hailakandi, Nalbari and Sonitpur districts.

Eight people, including three children, were reported missing after a boat capsize in Hojai district on Friday night. They are from the districts of Hojai, Bajali, West Karbi Anglong, Kokrajhar and Tamulpur. Altogether 21 people were rescued there.