The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Saturday, with the toll from rain-related incidents reaching 62 and the waters affecting 705,000 people across nine districts, according to officials familiar with the matter, even as water levels started to recede in some parts.
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According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin on Friday night, 14 people died across nine districts in the last 24 hours.
Also read: Assam flood death toll climbs to 61; 14 more people lost their lives: ASDMA
PM Modi reviews relief efforts with Himanta Sarma
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought an update from chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the relief and rescue operations that continues across the flood-hit districts. “He sought an update on the extent of the devastation, the ongoing relief operations and the challenges we are confronting on the ground. I briefed him on the measures being undertaken by the State Government and our efforts to reach out to every affected family,” Sarma wrote on X.
“Expressing his deep condolences over the loss of lives and property, the Hon’ble Prime Minister assured the people of Assam that this calamity is being accorded the highest priority and the Government of India will extend every possible support to aid our relief, rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts,” Sarma added.
Also read: Assam flood toll rises to 47 as six more die; over 6.53 lakh people affected across 11 districts
Army, IAF continue rescue operations
The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are also assisting the state government in its relief operations.
According to ASDMA, seven people died in Charaideo on Friday while six deaths were reported from Sivasagar and one in Jorhat. Till Thursday, 21 deaths had occurred in Sivasagar alone and with six more, the toll in the district reached 27. ASDMA said that one person is missing.
Also read: Why Assam floods: The obvious answer is Brahmaputra, but there’s so much more to it
Rain havoc continues in other states
Meanwhile, two workers died, and four were injured after a landslide hit them while clearing debris from a stretch of road that was brought in by a previous landslip in Sikkim’s Namchi district on Saturday afternoon, police said. Six workers were engaged in clearing the debris that had blocked the road connecting Sada and Phamtam villages when a fresh landslide hit the worksite, burying the workers under debris.
In Gujarat, 35 rain-related deaths have been reported in the past two days, officials said on Saturday, even as the downpour in the state eased. Twenty-nine of these deaths have taken place in Valsad and Navsari, two of the worst affected districts, with over 7,000 people rescued in the last few days, they added.
“A total of 35 rain-related deaths have been reported so far in the state in the last two days as bodies washed away in flood waters were recovered and missing persons were accounted for after the rain stopped and rescue operations concluded,” Relief Commissioner Gaurang Makwana said.
Also read: Army deployed for rescue ops as Gujarat continues to receive heavy rain
Rain continued to lash several parts of Kashmir for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday. However, the officials said the flood threat has eased as the levels in most water bodies were decreasing.
In Maharashtra, the Palghar district administration has stepped up the distribution of financial assistance and relief packages to flood-affected families during the first week of this month, which left 20 people dead, officials said.
Also read: Thane civic body dispatches relief team to flood-hit Dahanu in Palghar
An ex gratia of ₹4 lakh per family was sanctioned for each eligible victim, and financial aid totalling ₹32 lakh has already been disbursed to eight families, it said. The process to release the money to the remaining families is underway, said officials.
