Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further over the past 24 hours, with the state reporting its first flood-related death in the ongoing first wave of floods on Tuesday. The fatality was reported from Dhemaji district, while the number of people affected by the deluge went up further since Monday evening.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the number of flood-hit people rose to nearly 47,000 by Tuesday evening, up from 45,839 recorded on Monday evening.ASDMA said a woman lost her life in the Sissiborgaon revenue circle of Dhemaji district, where floodwaters flowing down from Arunachal Pradesh caused widespread devastation. Dhemaji remained the worst-affected district, with 45,841 people impacted by the floods as of Tuesday evening.“We are with the flood-affected farmers of Dhemaji, continuously monitoring the situation. At the same time, Cabinet colleagues and MLAs are present in various flood-affected areas, relentlessly continuing efforts to ensure rescue, relief, security measures, and immediate assistance so that every affected family receives aid in a timely manner,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.ASDMA said floodwaters inundated 221 villages across six districts of the state as of Tuesday. The affected districts are Dhemaji, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Chirang, Lakhimpur and Biswanath. Nearly 500 people have taken shelter in relief camps set up across the affected districts.The flood has also submerged more than 3,809 hectares of agricultural land. Large stretches of paddy fields remain covered with silt, rendering them unsuitable for cultivation even as the winter paddy sowing season has begun in the state.According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat and the Disang at Nanglamuraghat in upper Assam were flowing above the danger mark on Tuesday morning.Meanwhile, Union Minister for Communications and Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, on Tuesday reviewed the evolving flood situation across the Northeast following incessant rainfall. He held discussions with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to assess the ground situation and review the ongoing rescue, relief and restoration efforts.During the interactions, the Union Minister took stock of the prevailing situation and assured the Chief Ministers of every possible support and assistance from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) to protect lives, strengthen relief operations and restore normalcy at the earliest.“The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is closely monitoring the evolving situation and remains in constant coordination with the concerned State Governments and Central agencies to facilitate timely assistance wherever required,” stated a government release.
