Floods have affected more than 721000 people across Assam, with the death toll climbing to 47 after six additional fatalities on July 23. Three eastern districts have been hit hardest amid heavy rainfall and upstream cloudbursts.
More than 7.21 lakh residents are affected by the floods, which have submerged 883 villages. A total of 24124 people are sheltering in 103 relief camps. The districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat account for most of the 47 deaths recorded so far.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma linked the scale of the disaster to cloudbursts in Nagaland and rainfall 436 percent above normal. Rescue teams from the Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force and state agencies are conducting operations by air and boat. Over 300000 kilograms of rice and other supplies have reached the worst-hit areas.
Rivers including Buridihing, Dikhou, Disang and Dhansiri remain in spate. Train services stay suspended in parts of the Northeast Frontier Railway Tinsukia Division due to inundated tracks near Simaluguri. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta urged residents to avoid flooded zones.
