A villager shifts his belongings from a flood affected area to a safer place, at Kaliabor in Nagaon district on July 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 15 spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and took stock of the flood situation in the State. The Home Minister also spoke with the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and inquired about the increased water level in both States.

He also assured the CMs of providing Central assistance as well as support of the National Disaster Response Force to combat the crisis.

Mr. Shah reached out to the Chief Ministers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat in separate telephonic conversations to assess the flood situation as well as the surge in water level due to heavy rainfall.

The proactive engagement by the Union Home Minister comes as the Assam flood and the resulting surge in waters continue to affect thousands of people across these States.

The flood situation in Assam remains grim, with the death toll rising to more than 90 as per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). More than 5 lakh people across 18 districts are reeling under the deluge, with Assam’s Cachar being the worst-hit district.

The flood-affected districts in Assam include Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karimganj, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, and Sivasagar.

On the other hand, 1,342 villages under 52 revenue circles are still under water and the flood waters submerged 25367.61 hectares of crop area in Assam.

The water level of the Brahmaputra River is flowing above the danger level mark at Neamatighat, Tezpur and Dhubri while the Burhidihing River is flowing above the danger level mark at Chenimari (Knhowang), Disang River at Nanglamuraghat. Over 58,000 people are still taking shelter in 172 relief camps and distribution centres in 13 districts. 2,83,712 domestic animals were also affected by the deluge.

The situation in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the eastern and central regions, is also under observation after an increase in the water levels of several rivers following incessant rains impacting around 18 lakh people in more than 900 villages.

As per officials, nearly 18 districts, including Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Balrampur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Barabanki, Sitapur, Gonda Siddharth Nagar, Moradabad, Bareilly and Basti in Uttar Pradesh were affected by increased water level.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier conducted an aerial survey of the affected districts and directed the officials to provide all possible assistance to the affected people.

Due to heavy rain in the Valsad district in Gujarat, many low-lying areas have been inundated, and the national highway was also flooded. Teams from disaster cells were deployed to drain the water from these areas. Additionally, the heavy rains caused the water level in Madhuban Dam to rise.