The toll from the floods in Assam rose to 72 on Sunday after nine more residents, including three children, were found dead, according to the state disaster management authority.
While three persons died after they were buried alive in landslides in Cachar district, six died due to floods in Bajali, Barpeta, Kamrup, Karimganj and Udalguri districts.
Four persons were reported missing after the boat they were using to cross the Brahmaputra river in Dibrugarh district’s Rohmoria area capsized, according to The Sentinel.
Two students are feared to have been swept away when they went to take a dip in a flooded low-lying area in Kamrup district, The Times of India reported. Both of them remained untraceable until Sunday evening.
Incessant rains have hit several parts of Assam in the last two weeks. According to the meteorological department, the state has already recorded 109% excessive rainfall this month – 528.5 millimetre of actual rainfall until June 19 against the normal 252.8 millimetre for June.
The Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are flowing above the danger level at many places in the state.
Over 42.28 lakh residents have been affected in 33 districts due to the floods, the disaster management agency said in its latest report. The worst-hit districts are Barpeta, Bajali, Cachar, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Hojai, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Nagaon and Nalbari, amongst others.
The Assam administration has set up 744 relief camps across 27 districts, which are currently housing over 1.86 lakh citizens impacted by the floods. Besides these, 403 relief distribution centres are operational in the state.
At least eight animals – including seven hog deer and one leopard – have died in the floods in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, according to the Assam government.
On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed district officials to concentrate on providing relief materials to those adversely affected by the floods, PTI reported.
“Airdropping of relief materials must be done in areas where there is heavy flooding and army, NDRF or SDRF boats have not been able to reach,’’ he said.
30 dead in Meghalaya
Heavy rains have also caused widespread damage in Meghalaya, where 30 persons have died due to flash floods and landslides in the last two months, according to the state government. Of these, eighteen residents had died between June 16 and June 18.
Over 5.86 lakh persons in 772 villages have been affected since April 1, according to The Shillong Times.
“The number may increase as we are yet to assess some remote areas because communication is totally snapped,” Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui told Scroll.in on Monday. “The situation is unprecedented this time due to continuous rain.”
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the rainfall in the state has been unprecedented and in some areas, it has broken records for the past 40 years, The Shillong Times reported.
“Major roads, highways and important roads in rural areas and bridges have been damaged in the rain,” Sangma said. “There has been a huge impact as far as damages are concerned.”
The state government has sought financial assistance of Rs 300 crore from the Centre to meet the losses, according to NDTV.
On Friday, Cherrapunji in the East Khasi Hills district received 908.4 millimetres of rain. This is the highest rainfall in 24 hours that the town received in June since 1998, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Cherrapunji is considered to be one of the wettest places in the world. The town has received over 800 millimetres of rain in June on nine occasions since the weather department began maintaining records.
Other states
In Arunachal Pradesh, nine people have been killed due to flash floods and landslides since April 1, according to The Arunachal Times.
Of these, six deaths have occurred in the Itanagar region, while the remaining three have been reported in the Kurung Kumey district.
Over 524 houses have been damaged in 87 villages, affecting a population of about 11,000 in the state, according to the newspaper.
In Tripura, a woman was killed after drowning in flood waters in Chandrapur, near Agartala, The Hindu reported.
In Manipur, multiple landslides have disrupted the movement on the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway 37. Several vehicles are reported to be stranded as construction workers are trying to clear the roads, according to The Hindu.
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