assam flood news

Assam: Flood Situation Worsens, Over 1.33 Lakh People Affected in 11 Districts

Some 162 persons and 40 animals had to be evacuated to safety by boats so far.

Guwahati: The overall flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Friday, August 27 affecting more than 1.33 lakh people spread over 11 districts, according to the daily bulletin issued by Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA).

The districts affected by the flooding caused by heavy rainfall in catchment areas are Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia. However, no loss of human or animal life has been reported so far, the bulletin said.

Some 162 persons and 40 animals had to be evacuated to safety by boats so far. A total of 6,217 flood hit-persons have taken shelter in 66 relief camps set up by the district administrations of Bongaigaon and Chirang, while five camps in Dhemaji and three in Tinsukia have also been kept ready for affected people.

Altogether, 243 villages have been affected so far due to inundation caused by flood waters of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. “The rivers in the state were maintaining a rising trend in most of the affected districts besides flowing above the danger mark in several places,” an official said.

The highest number of 63,891 people have been affected in Bongaigaon, followed by 31,500 in Dhemaji and 13,239 in Majuli. The bulletin added that five medical teams have also been deployed. There are reports of 16 roads damaged due to flood water in Bongaigaon and Dhemaji, though no embankments have been breached so far.

Large scale erosion has been reported from several places in Baksa, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Goalpara, Cachar, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Majuli, Morigaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur and Tinsukia, according to the bulletin.

Assam Floods: Death Toll Rises to 123, 26.38 Lakh Affected in 27 Districts

Goalpara continued to be the most affected district with 4.7 lakh people hit by the deluge, a government report said.

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam remained grim as one more person died and 26.38 lakh people are affected in 27 of the states 33 districts on Saturday, a government report said.

With the death of one more person in Morigaon district, the death toll in this year’s flood and landslides has risen to 123.

While 97 people died in flood-related incidents, 26 were killed in landslides, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

The ASDMA said the number of people affected by the deluge has been decreased by over 1.6 lakh since Friday.

Goalpara continued to be the most affected district with 4.7 lakh people hit by the deluge, followed by Barpeta (4.24 lakh) and Morigaon (3.75 lakh), it said.

Also Read: Flood Wreaks Havoc Over Large Swathes of North Bihar

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Guwahati, Tezpur, Dhubri and Goalpara towns. Its tributaries such as Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, Beki and Sankosh at Golokoganj in Dhubri are also flowing above the danger levels at various places.

Roads, bridges, culverts and many other infrastructure have been damaged at various places in Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Chirang, Nagaon, Jorhat, Barpeta, Majuli districts.

Massive erosions have been witnessed at different places of Biswanath, South Salmara, Chirang and Majuli districts, the ASDMA said.

The district administrations are operating 564 relief camps and distribution centres across 19 districts, where 47,772 people have taken shelter.

The ASDMA bulletin said the floods have claimed the lives of 127 animals of different species so far, while 157 others were rescued in Kaziranga National Park.

The flooded districts include Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, West Karbi Anglong and Cachar.

Assam: Flood Situation Remains Grim; Five More Dead, Nearly 36 Lakh Affected

The flood has further taken the lives of 86 wild animals in national parks and 31,48,133 domestic animals and poultry across the state.

Guwahati: Five more people died in flood-related incidents in Assam and 35.76 lakh people across 28 of the 33 districts in the state are now affected, an official bulletin said on Friday.

One person each died in Dhubri, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Goalpara and Kamrup districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its bulletin.

Though the number of districts affected by the deluge increased by one since Thursday, that of the flood victims decreased by around 4 lakh.

The total number of people losing their lives in this year’s flood and landslides in the state has gone up to 102. While 76 people died in flood-related incidents, 26 were killed in landslides, the bulletin said.

Dhubri is the worst-hit district with over 8.92 lakh people affected, followed by 4.43 lakh in Goalpara and 4.30 lakh in Barpeta, it said.

Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force and district administrations and local people have rescued 2,389 people during the last 24 hours.

At present, 3,014 villages are underwater and 1,27,955.33 hectares of crop areas have been affected across Assam, the ASDMA said.

It said that the authorities are running 711 relief camps and distribution centres across 24 districts, where 51,421 people have taken shelter.

The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Dhubri and Goalpara, Nimatighat in Jorhat and Tezpur in Sonitpur district. While the Barak river is flowing above the danger mark at AP Ghat in Cachar and at Badarpurghat in Karimganj.

Its tributaries Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, Beki and Kushiyara are also flowing above the danger level at various places, the bulletin said.

Embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure have been damaged at various places in Udalguri, Lakhimpur, Chirang, Darrang, Barpeta, Morigaon, Kamrup, Majuli, Nagaon and Bongaigaon districts.

ASDMA said that different places of Biswanath, Udalguri, Darrang and South Salmara districts have witnessed massive erosions.

The deluge has so far taken away the lives of 86 animals of different species in Kaziranga National Park and Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.

A one-horned rhinoceros along with her baby stands in floodwater inside Kaziranga National Park, in Golaghat district. Photo: PTI

Quoting the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, the bulletin said 125 animals were rescued in Kaziranga National Park.

The flood has also affected 31,48,133 domestic animals and poultry across the state during the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, on Friday wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressing concern over the flood situation in Assam.

“I am writing to you today to express my sadness at the loss of life and devastation of property, as well as the tremendous hardship caused to so many due to flooding in many parts of your state…”

“As a gesture of solidarity with the people of Assam, I am making a donation from the Dalai Lama Trust towards relief and rescue efforts,” the letter read.

However, the amount of donation was not mentioned in the tweet posted by the Tibetan guru’s office.

Sonowal expressed gratitude to the Dalai lama for standing by the flood-hit people of the state.

The flood-affected districts are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Hojai, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Cachar.

Flood Situation in Assam Worsens; Two More Die, Over 4.6 Lakh People Affected

The death toll in this year’s floods in the state has gone up to 16.

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam worsened on Saturday with two more people losing their lives due to the deluge, which has affected over 4.6 lakh people across 21 districts, officials said.

The two deaths were reported at Balijana and Matia in Goalpara district due to flood waters, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its daily bulletin.

The death toll in this year’s floods in the state has gone up to 16.

The ASDMA said more than 4.6 lakh persons have been hit by the deluge in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Udalguri, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Morigaon and other districts.

Dhemaji is the worst affected, followed by Tinsukia and Nalbari.

The administration has rescued 261 people during the last 24 hours in the three districts, the bulletin said.

With incessant rains, Dibrugarh city has been under water for the last four days, the ASDMA said, adding that 1,289 villages are submerged and 37,313.46 hectares of crop area has been damaged.

Authorities have set up 132 relief camps and distribution centres in 10 districts where 19,496 people are taking shelter.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Guwahati, Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, Goalpara town and Dhubri town.

Embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure have been damaged at various places, the bulletin said.

Massive erosion has been witnessed in Baksa and Udalguri, the ASDMA said.

The bulletin also said that 80 out of 183 camps are affected due to the flood at the Kaziranga National Park.

Flood Toll in Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya Crosses 100; Lakhs of People Affected

Red alert warning has been issued in Kerala for heavy rains, while temperatures dropped in north India.

New Delhi: The flood situation in Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya remained grim on Thursday with the death toll crossing the 100-figure mark while three districts in Kerala braced for extremely heavy rains with the IMD issuing a red alert for the next three days.

Parts of north and eastern India were lashed by rains and the Army was called out in Punjab’s Sangrur district following a 50-foot breach in the Ghaggar river that inundated over 2,000 acres of agricultural field and inhabitants of a few nearby villages fled fearing flood threat.

The national capital witnessed a fresh bout of rains on Thursday that resulted in a drop in temperatures and pollution levels.

Also Read: Fighting Floods Is Hard but There Are Two Ways to Make It More Democratic

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for Delhi, reported 12.1 mm rains overnight. Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, it measured 3.6 mm precipitation.

A total 78 people have died so far in the flash floods that have hit Bihar in the wake of torrential rainfall in adjoining Nepal, the state disaster management department said.

Sitamarhi district accounted for the maximum number of 18 deaths. Other districts reporting casualties are Madhubani (14), Araria (12), Sheohar and Darbhanga (nine each), Purnea (seven), Kishanganj (four), Supaul (three) and East Champaran (two).

Muzaffarpur has been badly effected by floods. Photo: PTI

Assam still in grip of floods

Of Assam’s 33 districts, 28 remained under the grip of floods that has displaced nearly 54 lakh people and killed 36 people.

The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati and other parts of the state, and according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 53,52,107 people are reeling under the impact of the deluge.

Nine fresh deaths – three from Morigaon, two from Biswanath, and one each from Sonitpur, Udalguri, Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts – were reported on Thursday, the ASDMA said.

Also Read: Floods and NRC: A Toss up Between Life and Citizenship

Barpeta is the worst-hit district with 13.48 lakh people suffering due to the deluge that has damaged over 4,000 houses across the state, swept away 130 animals and affected over 25 lakh big and small animals.

Large parts of Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary are also submerged, forcing wild animals, including rhinos, elephants, deer and wild boars, to take refuge in artificial highlands constructed within the parks or migrate to the southern highlands of Karbi Anglong hills.

Several famed one-horned rhinoceros and other animals have reportedly died in the floods.

Images of a fully grown tiger “relaxing” on a bed inside a shop in Assam’s flooded Kaziranga National Park has created a buzz on social media and thrown spotlight on the plight of animals as the state battles the deluge.

Over 2.26 lakh displaced people have taken shelter in 1,080 relief camps and 689 relief distribution centres set up by the district administrations, the ASDMA bulletin said.

The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams were working round-the-clock in the flood-affected areas to evacuate those stranded, it said.

With two more deaths in Meghalaya, the toll in floods in the state rose to eight while over 1.55 lakh were affected by the deluge.

Like torrential rains in Nepal causing a deluge in Nepal, the flood in Assam has ravaged Bangladesh. One of Bangladesh’s main rivers breached an embankment, flooding a northern district and forcing thousands from their homes, officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Kaziranga: One-horned rhinoceros seen at an elevated area following floods due to incessant monsoon rainfall in Kaziranga National Park, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Photo: PTI

Red alert in Kerala

Meanwhile, in Kerala, the IMD has sounded a red alert in Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts which are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall upwards of 20 cm in the next two to three days.

A red alert is a call to immediately take preventive steps and move people from vulnerable areas to shelter camps and provide them with emergency kits.

Also Read: Cyclone Fani Is a Sign That Tropical Storms Are Becoming More Intense

Other districts are predicted to get isolated heavy to very heavy rains on these days, though a red alert has not been issued for them.

Fishermen living on the coast of Kerala and Lakshadweep area have been cautioned not to venture out to sea due to strong winds from the northwesterly direction reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph.

Rains in north India too

In northern India’s Haryana and Punjab the maximum temperatures were below normal limits, with the weatherman forecasting light to moderate rains at a few places in the two states for Friday.

Both Chandigarh and Haryana’s Ambala recorded maximum temperature of 32.8 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal limits, while Karnal registered a high of 30 degrees Celsius, four notches below the average. Narnaul, which received 71 mm rainfall during the day, recorded a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 33.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the normal while Ludhiana and Patiala recorded below normal maximums of 32.7 degrees Celsius and 32.4 degrees Celsius.

Rajasthan received rainfall ranging from 2 cm to 12 cm since Wednesday with Khetri town in Jhunjhunu district recording 12 cm of rains.

Rupbas town in Bharatpur district and Sujangarh city in Churu district each received 6 cm of rains followed by Bhuhana in Jhunjhunu and Tibi in Hanumangarh districts each of which gauged 5 cm rainfall.

Bikaner, with 40.8 degrees Celsius, was the hottest place in the state, followed by 38.9 degrees Celsius in Jaisalmer, 38.8 degrees Celsius each in Jodhpur and Barmer, 38.6 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar and 35.8 degrees Celsius in Jaipur.

Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, Sikkim and also Bihar received rains.

(With PTI inputs)

Floods in the Time of NRC: A Toss up Between Life and Citizenship

The sight of people in Assam refusing to leave their submerged homes is a heartbreaking snapshot of the struggle to prove that one belongs to the land one considers home.

Growing up in Kolkata, I used to wait for the northwesterly winds and cloudy skies in the evenings; for the sultry afternoon sun to recede behind clouds, covering the city in long shadows. Then the rains came, hard pellets hitting the streets, pounding windows, strong gusts of wind blowing through the city. Memories of rain spattered afternoons – when Calcuttans unfurled their Mohendra Dutt umbrellas, walked in the downpour, water lapping at their feet, wind blowing against their faces – used to be a joyous prospect.

Not anymore.

As the Earth heats up, rains grow harder, and floods become endemic, people watch the skies with anxiety, not longing. For tens of thousands, living along precarious coastlines and in low-lying areas, in houses of doubtful durability, the onset of the monsoon can be a harbinger of death and destruction.

In 2019, we find a new layer to this emerging narrative. This layer, inserted by politics, is currently playing out in the race to prove one’s citizenship in this country. At this moment, thousands of people in Assam, a majority of them poor, are living in houses where water levels have risen to alarming heights. But people in these submerged houses are unwilling to move to places of safety. They have the noose of a July 31 deadline tightening around their neck. The final National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published at the end of this month, barely two weeks from now. Till then, flood-affected people – however vulnerable they are to rising, perilous waters – are resolved to guard their documents.

The situation is a toss-up between life and citizenship. You may survive the floods but still not be able to prove your bonafide claim to go on living in the country you have inhabited for decades. What would the survivor of a natural calamity do if she cannot escape the punitive fiat of a “strong” state? She may find herself transported to a detention camp, reduced to the status of a stateless refugee, having to move from place to place filled with anxiety and fear. Her destiny lies in the documents that may or may not prove her citizenship.

Also Read: You May Think You Are an Indian Citizen, but Can You Convince the State?

It’s heart-breaking when you think of the condition of these homes going under water. These are not glitzy advertorial apartments with swanky safes or lockers built in to ensure the safety of important belongings. Neither do many of those affected have bank accounts and secure vaults. A compassionate state (if that very invocation is itself not an anomaly) committed to protecting the poor and vulnerable would frame rules keeping the interests of such precarious populations in mind. But as history shows, it is the poor, who, without fail, who feel the brunt of ill-conceived policies.

An Indian Express report on Wednesday revealed the predicament of people trying to cope with the ravages of floods and the stringent citizenship test. Many of those stuck in flooded areas are simply refusing to leave their houses, said the report. Parvesh Kumar, a rescuer from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF,) was trying in vain, for two days, to persuade Rina Begum, a resident of Tulsibari village in Assam’s Morigaon district, to leave her half-submerged house. “Over the last 48 hours, as rescuers shuttle her neighbours from their marooned homes to dry land, Begum, a 50-year-old grandmother of four, watched but remained defiant. “How can we leave our home?” she says, standing in waist-deep water,” the report states.

The reporter goes on to say, even when many families agree to leave their homes, they insist on ensuring the safety of their documents. It quotes Parvesh Kumar saying: “So many times, we brought them to safety only to go back again because they realise they have forgotten their document.” Land and home are defining identity markers in minority-dominated areas of Assam. “This could be one of the reasons that they feel so scared to leave their homes,” a local official told the Indian Express.

Villagers use a makeshift raft to cross a flooded area on the outskirts of Agartala, India July 15, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Jayanta Dey

Climate, culture and refugees

The convergence of floods and the last days and weeks leading up to the final NRC paint a picture of what the world is going to increasingly look like in the days, months and years ahead. Perpetuating cycles of migrants in search of safety and livelihood, refugees produced by climate change and state action will walk in lock-step. The crises of climate and culture will converge to create new refugees. Proving citizenship is going to become the next big battle ground, and the state will step up its demand to produce increasingly more documents to prove that one belongs to the land one considers home.

India knows the trauma of refugees, knows it intimately, and on many fronts. If the 1947 Partition, and the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation produced one kind of refugees, the displacement of tribals by massive economic projects produced another mass of landless people. Stripped off their homes and lands, residents become migrants become refugees. Against this backdrop, the NRC has opened yet another flank, further muddying and complicating an already fractious political discourse.

Also Read: Centre, Assam Move SC Over NRC ‘Sample Re-Verification,’ Deadline Extension

This Tuesday, home minister Amit Shah once again indicated his government’s resolve to make the NRC a nationwide project. He was responding to a supplementary question raised by Samajwadi Party member Javed Ali Khan. “Currently, the NRC is a part of Assam Accord. The Centre – as per its election manifesto – is dedicated to weaning out illegal immigrants from every inch of this country. We will make sure that all such immigrants are deported as per international law,” said Shah.

The NRC’s implications are huge. It has set off new tensions in an already existing atmosphere of anxiety and fear. We are witnessing the trauma, bewilderment and helplessness of the people excluded from the register in Assam. It’s difficult to grapple with what the consequences of such a nationwide exercise and what they will look like.