Flood waters begin receding in Assam, but the damage is done

Flood waters begin receding in Assam, but the damage is done
SAMUDRA GUPTA KASHYAP

GUWAHATI, AUG 8: The flood waters of the mighty Brahmaputra and its numerous tributaries have begun to recede slightly in the past two days, but that is hardly something to celebrate. An estimated 20 people are believed to have died in the floods and the state has been already devastated to a considerable extent, especially in those districts that had only recently witnessed an unprecedented output of paddy.

The worst-affected districts have been Barpeta, Nalbari and Kamrup, all in Lower Assam, and Darrang, Dhemaji and Sonitpur in northern Assam. The extent of devastation has been such that there have been reports of food shortage in the interior areas of all the three districts. Hundreds of houses are still under three to five feet water, while standing crops have been virtually destroyed.

Kamrup has borne the brunt of the floods as far as crops are concerned, with official statistics putting the affected area under cultivation at 56,150 hectares.

In the state as whole, the total crop area affected by the floods has been officially put at 1.25 lakh hectares, with paddy being the worst-affected crop. In most districts, private granaries belonging to villagers have been also damaged.

While the state government has so far opened 277 relief camps in different districts, people are also taking shelter under the open sky on highways and on enbankments. The Brahmaputra is still flowing above the danger mark in Dhemaji, Darrang, Sonitpur, Jorhat, Goalpara and Dhubri districts, while several tributaries were also flowing above the danger level in most districts today.

However, road and railway communication between Guwahati and the rest of the country -- snapped last Thursday due to heavy floods in Rangiya sub-division of Kamrup district -- have been restored. But National Highway 31 between Bilasipara and Fakiragram, which cut off western Assam, was still submerged under at least two feet of water.

Road and railway links to the North-East were also affected earlier this month due to two major bomb explosions on the railway tracks, coupled by two bandhs, one called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the other by the All Bodo Students' Union last week.

Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who reviewed the flood situation here yesterday evening, has directed the district officials to speed up rescue and relief operations on a priority basis.

Immediately on his arrival from New Delhi after attending the Chief Ministers' conference, Mahanta rang up the deputy commissioners in the worst-affected districts and took stock of the situation.

The Chief Minister has also directed district authorities to coordinate rescue and relief operations with the Army, which was called out last week.