Assam seeks help from Modi to start special plan to tackle flood, erosion

On Tuesday, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal met PM Narendra Modi and requested him to start a special plan to tackle flood and erosion in the state.

Guwahati, July 19: Every day the death toll in Assam flood is rising, showing no sign of ending to the massive human tragedy. On Tuesday, the death toll rose to 69, as four more deaths were reported from the flood-hit state.

Amid the ongoing death and destruction, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Tuesday.

Sonowal asked Modi to launch a Prime Minister's Special Programme for Flood and Erosion Control to develop road-cum-embankments stretching over 5,000 km in Assam.

During the meeting, Sonowal told Modi that most of the embankments in the state were constructed in the 1950s and had become vulnerable to breaches due to floods and erosion.

"If these embankments are developed as road-cum-embankments, it will ensure their regular maintenance and sustainability," he said. The CM added that the state did not have enough resources to develop road-cum-embankments, so requested the PM to start an exclusive programme under his supervision to prevent flood and erosion.

A total of 29 districts, out of 33, in the state have been affected by the floods so far. More than 25 lakh people have been hit hard by the floods. The state government has set up around 1,098 relief camps and distribution centres to help the flood-hit people of the state.

The CM requested the PM to constitute a high-level team, comprising officials of various ministries and headed by a Union cabinet minister, to study the impact of floods and erosion and suggest permanent measures to mitigate the problem.

Sonowal also submitted a memorandum to Modi, requesting him to direct the ministry of water resources for an early release of central funds amounting to Rs 1,138 crore, to complete schemes undertaken under the flood management programme during the Eleventh and Twelfth Plans.

Under the programme, the Assam government took up 100 schemes during the Eleventh Plan and 41 schemes during the Twelfth Plan. The state shares against the schemes have already been released.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the worst hit district is South Salmara where 1,25,040 people are affected, while in Morigaon district nearly one lakh people are facing the flood fury.

The water in the Brahmaputra and the Barak rivers, and their tributaries, have been showing a receding trend at several places in the state with cessation of rainfall.

But the Brahmputra is still flowing above the danger level at Dhubri, Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, and the Barak at Badarpurghat in Karimganj, and Kushiara river at Karimganj.

A total crop area of 2,05,587 hectares have been affected in 29 districts, the ASDMA said.

Altogether 15,205 people have been rescued by the national and state disaster response forces, CRPF, Army, police, forest police, and district administrations.

Around 1,22,850 people have taken shelter in 334 relief camps where they have been provided with food, tarpaulins, disinfectants, candles, drinking water and medicines, the ASDMA said.

OneIndia News