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Union Minister Rijiju arrives in Assam to take stock of flood situation

by IBNS 13 Jul 2017, 10:12 am

Guwahati, July 13 : While Assam is still struggling with a devastating flood.which has already claimed 45 lives and affected over 1.7 million people of 24 districts out of 32, Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, arrived on Thursday in the state, to take stock of the situation and submit a report to the Centre.

Rijiju, and his team, which includes officials from  NITI Aayog, NDMA, Home ministry and NDRF, arrived at Lilabari airport in Lakhimpur district on Thursday morning. 
 
 
Rijiju said that he will visit the worst-affected districts of Majuli and Dhemaji and  submit a preliminary report to the Centre. 
 
 
"The Assam government has already taken effective measures to rescue the flood-affected people with the help of NDRF and provided sufficient relief material. Centre will help the state government to tackle the situation," Rijiju said. 
 
 
Meanwhile, the Union minister accompanied by state water resources minister Keshab Mahanta and other top administrative officials visited several flood-affected areas in Dhemaji and Majuli district. 
 
 
Rijiju will also visit Arunachal Pradesh. 
 
 
The current flood situation spiralled out of control as the flood waters inundated more areas in the state and the water levels of Brahmaputra river and its tributaries crossed the danger level in various areas following incessant rains in the state and other neighbouring states in the past couple of days.
 

Over 1.7 million people of Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Jorhat, Golaghat, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Majuli, Barpeta, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivsagar, Morigaon, Chirang, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, South Salmara, Charaideo, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong district are affected by the current flood and the flood waters submerged 1,05,860.01 hectares agricultural land of 2488 villages under 82 revenue circles.

 

Over 3.03 lakh people are affected alone in flood-hit South Salmara district along the Bangladesh border, while 2.68 lakh affected in Lakhimpur, 1.81 lakh in Morigaon, 1.45 lakh in Dhubri, 1.31 lakh in Dhemaji, 1.01 lakh in Barpeta.

 

On the other hand, a total of 31,456 people of 16 districts are homeless in the devasting flood and forced to take shelter in 294 temporary relief camps set up by the administration.

 

The current flood claimed 10 lives in the worst affected Lakhimpur district, with 8 in Kamrup (Metro), 4 in Jorhat, 3 in Golaghat, 2 each in Sivsagar, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Karimganj and one each in Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Majuli, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara, South Salmara, Cachar, Dima Hasao, Hojai and Morigaon district. 

 

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)