IAF choppers deployed to airdrop essential relief supplies in flood-affected areas: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, July 25
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the state government is extensively deploying Indian Air Force helicopters to airlift and airdrop essential relief supplies to people stranded in flood-affected areas.
In an X post, CM Sarma emphasised that relief distribution strategies are being continuously refined based on ground conditions to ensure aid reaches affected citizens efficiently.
"We are extensively using Indian Air Force choppers to airlift relief material and airdrop it to the people. Based on our ground experience, we will try and attempt targeted drops in larger quantities so people can get access to relief materials easily," he said.
In a separate post, the Chief Minister said the state government is also distributing baby food and sanitary pads to ensure the health and well-being of children and women affected by the floods.
"As our relief efforts continue during the #AssamFloods, we are also giving special attention to the health and well-being of children and women. The distribution of baby food & sanitary pads is underway across affected areas to ensure essential needs are met," he said.
Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Chief and MLA Badruddin Ajmal urged the authorities to expedite efforts in areas that have yet to receive attention and aid.
"Over hundreds affected or missing. The Chief Minister has said that many areas have still not been reached and only about half of the affected areas have been assessed. We need to know how the remaining areas will be covered," he said.
The death toll from the ongoing floods in Assam has risen to 61 after 14 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Friday.
The flood situation in Assam remains critical as the ASDMA in its latest flood report stated that out of the 14 recent fatalities, seven were reported from Charaideo district, six from Sivasagar, and one from Jorhat. The deceased include 11 males and three females. Additionally, one person remains missing in the Sivasagar district.
The overall situation in the state continues to be grim, with over 7.05 lakh people affected across 12 districts: Golaghat, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Hojai, Nagaon, Biswanath, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Kamrup (M), and Karbi Anglong.
Sivasagar is currently the worst-hit district with 3,48,555 people affected, followed by Charaideo with 1,88,404, and Jorhat with 1,26,793. The ASDMA report further highlighted that 856 villages and 37 revenue circles have been hit by the floods.
— ANI
Reader Comments
At least they're paying attention to women and children by distributing sanitary pads and baby food. 🙏 But 61 deaths is alarming. The government needs to ramp up rescue operations before the next wave of rain hits. Weather forecasts aren't looking good.
Impressed by the logistics of airdropping supplies in difficult terrain. But Mr. Badruddin Ajmal has raised a valid point about half the affected areas still being unassessed. Transparency on coverage would help. Punjab sends solidarity to Assam. 🌊
Been seeing the floods on newsnightly from Delhi. The loss of 14 lives in just 24 hours is terrifying. CM's call for targeted drops is okay, but the real test will be if those supplies actually reach the remote char areas. Need more civilian coordinators on ground.
One person missing in Sivasagar still. Every life matters. 7.05 lakh affected across 12 districts is a massive scale. Let's hope the IAF choppers manage to reach the worst-hit zones before water levels rise further. Good move on baby food distribution too.
The emphasis on women's health with sanitary pads is very important. But the criticism about only half the areas being assessed is fair. We need to speed up the assessment phase even while doing airdrops. 61 deaths in a season shouldn't become normal. 🌧️
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