GUWAHATI: The flood situation in the Northeast continues to remain grim, affecting over seven lakh people.
There were no reports of loss of human lives on Friday after 12 people had died in Assam, Manipur and Tripura till Thursday. The Army, Assam Rifles and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were engaged in evacuating the marooned. Nearly 1,400 people had been evacuated by them in Manipur and Tripura.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh told The New Indian Express that he had sought the help of Central government in combatting the situation.
“(Union Home Minister) Rajnath Singh Ji had called me up to take stock of the situation. I sought immediate help from the Centre. I also had a talk with other Central government officials,” Singh told The New Indian Express.
He said although there was no report of loss of human lives on Friday, more and more areas were coming under the grip of the floods and landslides. Three lakh people in 200 villages and localities have been affected. The Imphal-Jiribam national highway, which has remained blocked for three days following landslides, is being cleared, Singh added.
Official sources said over 25,000 flood-affected people were taking shelter in 101 relief camps. The state government announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.5 lakh each to the next of kin of five people who lost their lives in the deluge.
In Assam, seven districts were in the grip of the floods. The situation was worse in Barak Valley which comprises of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts.
According to Assam State Disaster Management Authorities, over 3.88 lakh people in 668 villages were affected. The authorities set up 178 relief camps where over 67,000 people were lodged. Five rivers, including Barak and Kushiyara, are flowing above danger level. The NDRF, State Disaster Response Force and Assam Rifles have so far rescued 471 people.
In Tripura, there was no improvement in the overall situation. In fact, the situation turned worse in Khowai district on Friday following rains on Thursday night. The flooded Khowai river submerged fresh areas, rendering thousands homeless and damaging roads and crops. Official sources said close to 40,000 people were lodged in relief camps.