PM Modi dials CM Sonowal to take stock of Assam floods, COVID and Baghjan well

Amid the severe floods in Assam due to incessant rainfall, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday over a range of issues the state has been grappling with over a period of time. PM Modi inquired over the phone about the current situation over Assam floods, COVID-19 situation and Baghjan Oil Well blowout. Taking to Twitter, the Assam chief minister said that PM Modi expressed his concern and offered all the required support to the state amid the crisis.

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Assam's battle with floods

This comes as the state has been hit with incessant rainfall leading to severe floods in the state affecting near 36 lakh people from 28 out of the 33 districts of the state with a death toll of 105 so far, according to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). The floods have destroyed houses, crops, roads and bridges at several places. Twenty-six out of the 105 fatalities have occurred because of the consequential landslides due to incessant rainfall.

Ninety animals have died in Kaziranga National Park this monsoon season, SDMA said.

Two persons died in Barpeta and one person in South Salmara district, taking the death toll to 105, including 26 in landslides, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said in its daily flood report.

In order to address the crisis, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said separate teams of government employees have been deployed for flood and COVID-19 currently.

Addressing a press conference, Krishna also said, "There is also no problem regarding funds as enough funds have been released to the districts. Doctors are regularly visiting relief camps to monitor the health of the inmates there." The ASDMA said the districts affected by floods are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong and Cachar districts.

Dhubri was the worst hit with over 4.69 lakh people affected, followed by Goalpara with 4.49 lakh people, Morigaon and Barpeta with more than 3.5 lakh people. SDRF, the district administrations and the locals have rescued 511 people between Friday and Saturday.

The SDMA said authorities have set up 649 relief camps and distribution centres across 21 districts, where 47,465 displaced people have taken shelter amid the floods. The authorities have distributed rice, dal, salt and mustard oil along with other relief materials such as tarpaulin, baby food, candle, matchbox, mosquito net, biscuit, soap, drinking water, cattle feed, mask and wheat bran.

(With PTI inputs)

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