GUWAHATI: The death toll from Assam’s deluge rose to 62, with over 7.05 lakh people still affected across 12 districts, as floodwaters began receding across the state on Saturday. The Centre has dispatched an inter-ministerial team to assess damage in the worst-hit areas.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the team reached Assam on Saturday and is travelling to the severely affected districts of Charaideo, Sivasagar and Jorhat to assess the impact. “Floodwaters have started receding. Now the administration is able to reach every village in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts,” he said.Sarma said the govt has modified its relief distribution strategy in the two worst-hit districts to ensure quicker assistance.
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“Relief is normally distributed on a per-person basis. But in Sivasagar and Charaideo, we are providing family relief kits to save valuable time that would otherwise be spent packing individual packets,” he said.The CM appealed to NGOs and voluntary organisations not to distribute used clothes among flood victims. “Those wishing to help may provide items such as phenyl, baby food and new clothes. Please do not donate used clothes. Flood-affected people already have weakened immunity and used garments may increase the risk of disease transmission,” he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Sarma on the phone to review the flood situation and assured all possible assistance. In a post on X, Sarma said Modi enquired about the extent of the devastation, ongoing relief operations and the challenges being faced by the state. “The Prime Minister assured the people of Assam that the govt of India will extend every possible support to aid our relief, rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts,” Sarma said.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, floods have affected 12 districts — Golaghat, Hojai, Charaideo, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Nagaon, Kamrup (Metro), Karbi Anglong, Biswanath, Dhemaji and Sonitpur. A total of 37 revenue circles, 856 villages and 7,05,148 people remain affected, while 56,606.77 hectares of crop land have been inundated.Urban flooding continues to affect parts of Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts, where 14,986 people in 10 localities remain impacted.
