Floods in Assam affect around 33 lakh people in 28 districts. Farmers become the worst hit as hundreds of acres of cultivable land destroyed by the deluge.
Flood in Assam Destroys Lives, National Park Hit
The floods in Assam have caused massive destruction as water crossed over most of the dams. Around 180 embankments of the 5,000-km-long embankment network along the Brahmaputra have breached.13 rivers in the state including the Brahmaputra, have crossed danger marks. The floods in Assam have inundated over 3300 villages troubling the farmers. Besides the deluge and landslides have claimed 85 lives so far. Besides, 166 out of the 223 anti-poaching camps of Kaziranga National Park are underwater. KNP has almost wholly submerged, killing 39 animals.
19548 People Rescued
The NDRF and SDRF, along with the local administration, have rescued 19548 people in the last 24 hours. Barpeta remains the worst-hit district of the state with five lakh people affected. Meanwhile, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) console that the situation would improve soon.
Embankments Only Repaired, Never Rebuilt Despite Sanctions
Assam Minister Phanibhushan Choudhury while touring the areas of Bajali, admitted that the situation has worsened. Further, he added that the government is aware of the lifetime of the dams and will get them repaired soon. The locals claim that embankment at Pahumara, a Brahmaputra tributary, constructed in 1971 has never been rebuilt but only corrected.
Kridit Thakuria, a resident of Bajali in the Barpeta district, said that the embankment snapped near his house two years back. However, it was just repaired and made broad on the top and never rebuilt. The Assam government allocated Rs 1,100 crores for 271 embankment repair projects. However, almost all of them missed the deadline, which was in April.
The ground officials say that battling coronavirus in floods has become more onerous. In all, local Assam people claim that they battle their lives with floods every year.