Assam flood death toll reaches 98, over 1.55 lakh remain affected in 13 districts

More than 1.55 lakh people remain affected by floods across 13 Assam districts, with the death toll rising to 98. The government is set to begin a detailed assessment of flood damage from Sunday to speed up the release of funds for permanent rehabilitation in the four worst-affected districts.

In Short

• Thirteen districts stayed under flood impact, down from fifteen a day earlier
• Golaghat remained worst hit, with Sivasagar and Jorhat reporting heavy distress
• 55 relief camps housed over ten thousand displaced residents across Assam

More than 1.55 lakh people continued to be affected by floods across Assam on Saturday, taking the death toll in this year's deluge to 98 after one more person died in Charaideo district, officials said.

Floodwaters continued to affect 13 districts, though the number of people impacted declined from more than 1.68 lakh across 15 districts a day earlier. Golaghat remained the worst-hit district, with 58,750 people affected, followed by Sivasagar with 48,286 and Jorhat with 25,259.

The government is set to begin a detailed assessment of flood damage from Sunday to speed up the release of funds for permanent rehabilitation in the four worst-affected districts of eastern Assam.

The latest fatality was reported from the Mahmora revenue circle in Charaideo, taking the overall flood-related death toll this year to 98.

The affected districts include Sivasagar, Golaghat, Nagaon, Hojai, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Darrang, Biswanath, Kamrup (Metropolitan), Lakhimpur, Udalguri, Jorhat and Charaideo.

According to officials, 1,55,849 people are currently affected by the floods. The administration has set up 55 relief camps where more than 10,000 displaced people are staying, while 18 relief distribution centres are also operational.

The floods have submerged 10,748.64 hectares of crop area and affected more than 47,000 animals, officials said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government will conduct a door-to-door assessment of flood damage in Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat and Charaideo between August 9 and 30.

Sarma said no affected household would be left out of the exercise and that maximum relief permissible under government norms would be provided.

He said the initial assessment would subsequently be verified with affected families. The government expects to have an estimate of the funds required for rehabilitation by September 10.

"Once we have the estimate of the funds, we can start providing the requisite financial assistance for permanent rehabilitation," Sarma said.

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