GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Monday, affecting nearly 3.63 lakh people across 15 districts, while five more people lost their lives. With incessant rain continuing across the state, the Army joined rescue and relief operations alongside state agencies.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), two men and two girls drowned in floodwaters in Jorhat district, while another person died in Karbi Anglong district, according to news agency PTI. One person each was also reported missing in Charaideo and Karbi Anglong districts.With the latest fatalities, the death toll from this year’s floods has risen to 10.The ASDMA said more than 3.62 lakh people have been affected in Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.Sivasagar remains the worst-affected district, with nearly 1.58 lakh people impacted. Charaideo has around 1.05 lakh affected residents, while about 51,000 people in Jorhat are reeling under floodwaters.As the situation worsened, Army personnel were deployed in Upper Assam to support the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and district administrations in rescue and relief work.The ASDMA said nearly 7,000 people have been rescued from Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts so far.Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said four cabinet ministers have been stationed in the affected districts to oversee relief operations. MPs and MLAs from flood-hit areas have also been asked to remain on the ground and monitor the situation.According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the SDRF and Fire and Emergency Services have rescued 510 people in Sivasagar. Army helicopters and additional boats have been deployed to reach marooned residents in inaccessible locations.In neighbouring Charaideo, teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF have been deployed in the worst-hit areas to carry out rescue operations and distribute relief materials.The floods have also disrupted railway services in several parts of the state.Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said train services in the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections have been suspended after floodwaters from the overflowing Dikhow river inundated the Simaluguri station yard, railway colony and railway tracks.Several long-distance trains originating from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia have been diverted via the Rangiya-Rangapara route on the north bank of the Brahmaputra. A number of local train services have also been cancelled or short-terminated.Floodwaters have inundated several tea estates as well. The Assam branch of the Tea Association of India (TAI) said almost all tea gardens in Nazira subdivision of Sivasagar district have been submerged, affecting workers’ quarters, hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure.The association said thousands of tea garden workers and their families have taken shelter in factory buildings, managers’ bungalows and other elevated structures within the estates.Meanwhile, heavy rain triggered multiple landslides in Guwahati. The Kamrup Metropolitan district administration said landslides were reported from at least five locations, though no casualties have been reported.In view of the India Meteorological Department’s forecast of heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, the ASDMA urged residents to remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel.The chief minister said medical teams have been deployed across affected areas to conduct health screenings, ensure uninterrupted medicine supply and prevent disease outbreaks.He added that all departments have been directed to remain on high alert, strengthen embankments, shift people to safer locations and ensure timely relief and rehabilitation.“The safety of people is our utmost priority, and I am personally monitoring the situation to ensure that all required relief and rehabilitation efforts are reaching them on time,” he added.According to the ASDMA’s daily bulletin, 101 relief camps and relief distribution centres have been set up across 11 districts, sheltering 9,606 displaced people.The authority said 794 villages remain inundated and floodwaters have damaged 19,099.59 hectares of crop area. Roads, bridges, embankments and other public infrastructure have also suffered extensive damage in several districts.The Brahmaputra river was flowing above the danger mark at Neamatighat. Among its tributaries, the Buridihing at Khowang, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nganglamuraghat and Dhansiri at Numaligarh were also flowing above danger levels.The floods have additionally affected more than 5.97 lakh domestic animals and poultry across the state, the ASDMA said.
