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by IANS |
Guwahati, May 25 (IANS) The situation in Assam, where the pre-monsoon floods have affected large parts of the state for the past 12 days, continue to improve for the third day on Tuesday but still 5.80 lakh people in 18 districts affected and with two more deaths during the past 24 hours, the overall death toll has risen to 27.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted more rains in the next few days in the northeastern states including Assam.
Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that at least 5,80,145 people, including 1,15,208 children, of 1,374 villages have been affected in 18 of the state's 34 districts.
Of the 27 deaths, 21 died in floods and remaining in landslides in different districts.
An ASDMA release said that 64,098 hectares crop areas remained affected in flood-hit areas. In all, 81,712 people are staying in the 346 relief camps, while the district administrations have also opened 182 relief distribution centres in all the affected areas.
Of the 18 flood affected districts, the worst-hit were three - 3,46,291 people were affected in Nagaon alone followed by 1,77,954 people in Cachar and 40,941 in Morigaon district.
The Army, the Assam Rifles, the National Disaster Response Force, and the State Disaster Response Force, along with the district administrations, continue to work round the clock to rescue the stranded people and to provide relief to the marooned men, women and children.
The water of Kopili river was flowing above the danger level in several places.
The ASDMA release said that various food items, cooking oil and diesel have been air transported in the remote areas on Tuesday.
Officials said that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday visited landslide areas at Sarkari Bagan in Haflong which witnessed heavy mudslides triggered by incessant rain on Tuesday.
He also visited relief camps and interacted with the camp inmates at Lower Haflong.He also visited the homes of those persons killed in landslides at Hokai Pungchi Village in Haflong.
Sarma, in a meeting at Haflong Circuit House, reviewed the situation and took stock of the extent of damages caused by rain-induced landslides in the mountainous Dima Hasao district.
Several Ministers, including Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika, and Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, are camping in the flood-ravaged areas to supervise the rescue and relief operations.
The situation in the hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in Dima Hasao district remained serious on Tuesday as inclement weather continued to batter the area, affecting the Lumding-Badarpur single line railway route, which connects Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country.
According to NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer, Sabyasachi De, in the Lumding Division, train services have been either cancelled till June end.
