At least 15 dead, 43 lakh affected in Assam floods, Centre releases Rs 251 crore aid

At least 15 people have died and lives of 43 lakh others affected as the flood situation in Assam further deteriorated on Tuesday. At least 32 out of 33 districts in the state have submerged under floodwater with 90 per cent of Kaziranga National Park rendered inundated.

Taking note of the grim situation, PM Narendra Modi-led central government has released Rs 251.55 crore grants-in-aid to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2019-20.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Min: I thank Hon PM Narendra Modi& HM Amit Shah for prompt release of ₹251.55 cr grants-in-aid to Assam towards central share of SDRF for 2019-20. This shall immensely help in relief operations& mitigating sufferings of people affected by #AssamFloods. pic.twitter.com/RvTc8zkZzy — ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2019

An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report said embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure have been damaged at various places including Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, Baksa, Dibrugarh, Nalbari, Hojai, Morigaon, Lakhimpur, Darrang, Nagaon, and other districts.

As many as 15 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with 38 deep divers, 48 IRB boats have been deployed to tackle the flood situation in Assam.

Meanwhile, the situation in Bihar continued to remain grim on Tuesday as over 25 lakh people across 12 districts have been affected in the havoc wreaked by floods in the state.

At least 31 people have died in the 12 districts of Bihar where much devastation and damage has been caused to life and property.

As the water level of rivers continued to rise, people were forced to abandon their submerged homes to look for shelter.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar informed the state Assembly that he took an aerial survey of the flood-hit districts and the state machinery was working overtime to provide help to the people.

Nitish also said that appropriate - and timely - monetary compensation would be provided to those affected by the floods and that vital lessons had been learnt from floods that had ravaged Bihar in 2017.