Slight improvement in Assam flood situation; death toll rises to 26

The overall flood situation in Assam showed a slight improvement today with all the major rivers of the state flowing below the danger level, even as two more persons lost their lives, taking the death toll in flood related incidents to 26.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), five districts were still in the grip of flood waters.

Two persons were reported drowned in Cachar district, it said.

A total of 96,993 people in five districts were reeling under the impact of the flood, as against the 1.94 lakh people in six districts yesterday.

The worst-hit district is Karimganj, where 59,023 people have been affected, while the other districts hit by the current wave of floods are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Cachar and Hailakandi.

More than 22,200 people are still staying in the 74 relief camps set up by the authorities. As many as 60 of those camps have been set up in Karimganj itself.

According to the ASDMA report, 192 villages are under the flood waters, with 1,364 hectares of crop land damaged.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had visited Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar in the Barak Valley over the weekend and announced a Rs 100-crore package for the victims and repair of the damaged infrastructure.