Assam flood: Flood situation deteriorates in Jorhat; 4 villages in Alengmora submerged
Jorhat, July 22
The flood situation in Assam's Jorhat district worsened on Wednesday, with surging waters submerging four villages in the Alengmora area.
At least 21 people lost their lives in floods across Assam in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 31, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Medical Officer Dr Rajesh Sharma told ANI that a multi-departmental effort is underway to address the drinking water issue, with health teams conducting village-to-village outreach and treating around 60-70 patients.
He added that emergency transportation and medical teams are on standby, with the initiative set to continue for a week.
"It is a multi-department approach... We are from the medical department, and there is a Disaster Management department as well. All the village people came today; around 60-70 patients. There is a big program over the drinking water... From yesterday, we are approaching village to village... If any transportation is needed regarding a medical emergency, we are arranging that, and there is a team as well on standby. We are going to continue this for a week," Dr Sharma said.
According to the ASDMA flood report, 13 people died in Sivasagar district, five in Charaideo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat in the last 24 hours.
The flood situation in Assam remained grim, with over 5.64 lakh people affected across 16 districts, including Golaghat, Kamrup, Hojai, Dibrugarh, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Nagaon, Charaideo, Kamrup (M), Jorhat, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar.
Floodwaters have submerged 24,210.35 hectares of crop area and affected 872 villages across 44 revenue circles.
Sivasagar is the worst-affected district, with over 3.59 lakh people affected, followed by Jorhat with 87,662, Charaideo with 72,646, Dibrugarh with 18,615 and Golaghat with 16,799.
More than 1.14 lakh people have taken shelter in 273 relief camps and relief distribution centres set up by district administrations in the flood-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the NDRF, the SDRF, the police, and the local administration are engaged in relief and rescue operations across the affected areas.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued five people from flood-affected Seleng Ghat near Seleng Tea Estate under Teok Revenue Circle in Assam's Jorhat district following an alert from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on July 19.An NDRF team led by Inspector K.B. Nath, under the supervision of N.K. Tiwari, Deputy Commandant, 1st Battalion NDRF, was deployed to the affected area.
The search and rescue team rescued a young girl trapped on the roof of her submerged house, a man who was being swept away by strong currents and three women stranded amid the floodwaters.
An elderly woman was found in critical condition after suffering severe hypothermia due to prolonged exposure to cold floodwater. The rescue team evacuated all five victims, administered pre-hospital treatment, particularly to the elderly woman, and shifted them safely to a designated relief centre for further medical care and rehabilitation.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm from Jorhat, this is the worst I've seen in years. The medical teams doing village-to-village outreach is good but 60-70 patients per day seems too less when lakhs are affected. Every year the same story - if only we had better flood forecasting and embankments. Our people deserve permanent solutions, not just annual relief camps.
Visiting Assam next month for work and this news is concerning. The bravery of the rescue teams saving that girl from the rooftop is commendable, but why does it always take a disaster to see such coordination? Hope the Brahmaputra basin gets a proper master plan soon.
More than 5.64 lakh affected but look at the crop damage - 24,210 hectares submerged. This will hit farmers, food prices, and the economy for months. We need a climate adaptation fund specifically for Northeast India. Every year same situation - Sivasagar and Jorhat always hit hardest. Very disheartening. 😞
Hats off to the NDRF team and Inspector K.B. Nath and Deputy Commandant Tiwari for saving that elderly woman with hypothermia. But I'm surprised only 1.14 lakh out of 5.64 lakh affected have taken shelter in relief camps - many must be refusing to leave their belongings. Government should provide better compensation for losses to encourage people to move to safety.
I've worked on disaster management projects in India and it's always the same pattern - flooding in the Northeast, drought in the South, cyclones on the coasts. The multi-department approach described is good but needs year-round preparedness, not just during monsoon. Assam needs better drainage, flood shelters
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