Amit Shah dials Himanta Sarma, assures Central assessment team for flood-hit Assam
Guwahati, July 23
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the severe flood situation in the state and informed him that an inter-ministerial Central team will soon visit Assam to assess the damage caused by the deluge.
Sharing the development on social media, CM Sarma said the Home Minister enquired about the flood situation and assured that the Central team would conduct an on-ground assessment to determine the extent of the destruction and facilitate the Centre's support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Expressing gratitude to HM Shah, the Chief Minister said the Centre has extended full support to Assam during one of the state's worst flood spells in recent years.
The Chief Minister said the flash floods, triggered by cloudbursts in upstream areas and compounded by exceptionally heavy rainfall, have caused widespread devastation across several districts.
He noted that rainfall in parts of the state was recorded at 436 per cent above normal, resulting in flooding even in areas that had not witnessed such disasters in recent memory.
According to the Chief Minister, the floods have affected more than nine lakh people in over 1,800 villages spread across 25 districts.
The disaster has claimed 41 lives so far, while thousands of livestock have also been lost.
He said rescue and evacuation operations are continuing round the clock with the assistance from the Indian Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other state agencies.
Helicopters and boats are being deployed to reach marooned residents in inaccessible areas.
The state government has established more than 148 relief camps, providing shelter to nearly 30,000 displaced people.
Relief teams have distributed food grains, drinking water and other essential supplies, with more than three lakh kilograms of rice and other relief materials already dispatched to the worst-affected districts.
CM Sarma added that the Assam government, in coordination with the Centre, is preparing a comprehensive rehabilitation package for affected families. He also said the state plans to initiate discussions with neighbouring states to strengthen coordination for mitigating the impact of upstream cloudbursts and future flood-related disasters. \
— IANS
Reader Comments
The 436% above normal rainfall is terrifying. This is not just Assam's problem—upstream cloudbursts need cross-state coordination like CM Sarma is planning. Kudos to Himanta for thinking long-term even while managing immediate rescue ops. But I worry about rehabilitation: families losing everything need more than just rice packets. 😔
Every year, same story. Floods, deaths, relief camps. Where is the permanent solution? Dredging Brahmaputra, building more embankments, better early warning systems—these should be priorities. But yes, appreciation for the quick central response this time. At least Amit Shah called personally. Ab reconstruction mein bhi utna hi dhyan chahiye.
As someone outside India, I'm glad to see the coordinated effort between state and centre. 148 relief camps and 30,000 people sheltered is significant. However, I hope environmental factors like deforestation in upstream areas are also examined during this assessment. Long-term resilience against such climate change-induced disasters is crucial.
Achcha hai ki Modi sarkar ne turant dhyaan diya. But I remember similar promises during earlier floods too. The real test will be how quickly the rehabilitation package comes and whether it covers loss of livestock, crops, and livelihoods. 41 lives lost is a tragedy—I hope compensation reaches families without any delay. Jai Hind.
IAF, NDRF, SDRF all deployed—that's reassuring. But why do we always react after disaster strikes? With climate change making such events frequent, Assam needs a flood management authority with real powers.
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