Assam Floods: Death Toll Rises to 108; PM Modi Says Centre Tracking Situation

Villagers make a temporary bamboo bridge after a portion of a road was washed away by the floods at a village in Goalpara district in Assam.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Input: Anjana Dutta
Video Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose

Seven more deaths were reported amid floods in Assam in the past 24 hours, on Thursday, 23 June, taking the death toll to 108 in the state, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

Two deaths were reported from Cachar and Barpeta and one each from Bajali, Dhubri and Tamulpur districts, news agency PTI reported.

As of now, 34 out of Assam’s 35 districts are flood-affected, as per ANI. The number of adversely affected residents came down to 45,34,048 on Thursday from 54,57,601 on Wednesday, 22 June, Scroll reported.

Amid the worsening flood situation, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma chaired a meeting on Thursday, 23 June, with senior officials of various government departments at District Collector office in Cachar to take stock of flood relief and rescue operations.

He tweeted,

“Directed district administration to prepare ward wise micro-level plan with the help of local people and public representatives for Silchar town.”

The Assam CM also surveyed the district of Silchar via air and said that packets containing food items, water bottles and essentials were airdropped on Thursday by helicopters.

Sarma said, “We plan to continue such air-droppings for our stranded people in the days ahead, apart from the regular relief. Our government is firmly with the people of Barak Valley.”

'Centre Monitoring Flood Situation in Assam': PM Modi

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Centre is continuously monitoring the flood situation and is working closely with the State government to provide all possible assistance.

He tweeted,

"Over the last few days, parts of Assam have witnessed flooding due to heavy rainfall. Central Govt is continuously monitoring the situation in Assam and is working closely with the State Government to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge."

He added that the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been dispatched to conduct evacuation operations and assisting those who are affected.

PM Modi said, "The Air Force has conducted over 250 sorties as a part of the evacuation process."

"CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ministers of the Assam Government and officials are working round the clock in the districts and helping those who have suffered. I pray for the safety and wellbeing of all those in affected areas and once again assure all possible support," said the Prime Minister.

With the situation remaining critical for the past week, 55 lakh people across 32 districts have been affected as rising Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers inundate new areas, officials have said.

According to ASDMA, the Barpeta district has been the worst hit by the floods, affecting more than 12 lakh people till now. Over 26 lakh people have been displaced and are currently seeking refuge in 862 relief camps.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI and Scroll.)