Floods Claim 15 Lives, Uproot 11,500 People In North-East

Guwahati: Fifteen people lost their lives to floods in the North-Eastern parts of the country as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh reeled under the impact of inundation caused by heavy rains. It is estimated that 1.80 lakh lives have been impacted by the floods and heavy rains in the North-East parts of the country.

The swollen Brahmaputra had risen above the danger mark, media reports stated and at least 11,500 people had to be shifted to relief camps and shelters. The Regional Meteorological Centre had predicted heavy rainfall for major parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur on Friday and Saturday.

Nine districts of Assam including Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia were impacted by the rising floodwaters on Thursday. Dhemaji is said to be the worst affected with more than 61 villages being impacted. Roads were badly damaged in the district and crops of over 3,400 hectares are said to have been impacted.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewd the flood situation on Friday along with Health Department officials, District Collectors and SPs and discussed relief and rehabilitation measures.

The Assam Chief Minister also monitored the coronavirus pandemic situation in the state and directed officials to ensure that hygiene is maintained, and all necessary precautions are taken to practice social distancing in the relief work.

Climate change is one of the principal reasons driving the change in weather conditions causing these extreme factors, say experts.