Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Chief Ministers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and took stock of the flood situation in the States, while offering support of the National Disaster Response Force.
Mr Shah reached out to the Chief Ministers and had separate telephonic conversations to assess the flood situation, as well as the surge in water level due to heavy rainfall.
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There were disturbing reports of floods in Assam and the surging waters affecting thousands of people in the other States.
The Home Minister spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, as the death toll due to the floods was rising to more than 90 as per the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). More than five 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 Nimatighat, 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 have taken shelter in 172 relief camps and distribution centres in 13 districts, while 2,83,712 domestic animals were also affected by the deluge, according to reports. There were also reports of wild animals including rhinos dying in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
The Home Minister also spoke with the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and enquired about the increased water level in both States. He assured the CMs of providing Central assistance.
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 out water from these areas. Heavy rains caused the water level in Madhuban Dam to rise.
