Guwahati: Govt agencies have restored connectivity in 100% flood-affected areas in upper Assam, even as the state’s flood toll climbed to 68, state revenue and disaster management minister Keshab Mahanta said on Monday.A central inter-ministerial team on Monday reviewed the flood situation and carried out a preliminary assessment of the damage in upper Assam with Mahanta.The state’s flood situation continued to improve on Monday, with the number of affected people dropping from 5.24 lakh to 4.45 lakh over the past 24 hours. According to the ASDMA’s evening bulletin, the number of flood-hit districts also came down from nine to six — Sivasagar, Golaghat, Charaideo, Jorhat, Nagaon and Kamrup (Metro). No deaths were reported during the period, although 21 revenue circles and 631 villages remained affected.“By yesterday, we ensured 100% connectivity, ensuring that vehicles carrying relief materials can move without any difficulty to the areas devastated by floods,” Mahanta said.The review meeting was held at the Sivasagar district commissioner’s office and was attended by the four-member central team led by M Ramachandrudu, joint secretary (disaster management), ministry of home affairs. Sivasagar guardian minister Bimal Bora, district commissioner Mridul Yadav and senior district officials were also present.The district administration gave a detailed presentation on the recent floods in Sivasagar and the damage caused across the district. “After completing these visits, the team will hold a comprehensive review meeting with the state govt. Following this, they will return to Delhi,” Mahanta said.The minister said 68 people have died so far, including 31 in Sivasagar and 20 in Charaideo, with the remaining deaths reported from other districts.The team will inspect the flood situation in neighbouring Jorhat and Golaghat districts on Tuesday.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the situation in Sivasagar is gradually returning to normal as floodwaters continue to recede. “Based on the reduction, we are gradually restoring power in areas with another 11% reduction in power cut areas from yesterday. We are monitoring the situation on an hourly basis,” he wrote in a social media post.He added that relief operations are continuing across the affected districts. “So far, over 211 MT of rice, along with drinking water, tarpaulins and other essentials, has reached affected families,” Sarma wrote.
