Union Home Minister Rajnath makes aerial survey, no special package announced
GUWAHATI, JULY 30 (IANS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday made an aerial survey of the flood-hit Nagaon and Morigaon districts and Kaziranga national park area and assured the state government all possible help to deal with the situation even as he asked the state government to prepare an effective action plan.
Singh was accompanied by DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other senior bureaucrats during his visit. The Home Minister also visited a relief camp near Jagiroad in Morigaon district and interacted with the inmates there.
“I have visited some of the flood-hit areas of Morigaon, Nagaon and Kaziranga national park to review the situation. I felt that the situation is really serious. I have requested Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to help the flood-hit people in the best possible way and the Central government will extend all possible help to the state government to deal with the situation,” said Singh while interacting with reporters at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport before leaving for New Delhi.
He said about 36 lakh people of the state have been affected by the current wave of floods in 28 districts of the state. “A total of 26 people have died due to floods within one week,” he said while appreciating the way the state government is dealing with the situation.
Asked about any financial package for Assam to deal with the floods, the Home Minister said that there state government has an amount of Rs. 620 crore under the State Disaster Rescue Force (SDRF) and that more funds will be given to the state as per the requirement to deal with the flood problem. “Let this amount be utilised, the Centre will give more funds. Funds are not going to be a constraint for the state government,” he said.
“The Chief Minister has already submitted a memorandum to me and on my return to New Delhi, we are going to consider all the demands included in the memorandum,” he said adding that the Central government will give more funds to the state government after the Central team visits the state and assess the overall flood damage.
Appreciating the role of agencies like the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Disaster Rescue Force (SDRF) and the Army, Singh said they have been working effectively with the concerned district administrations to help the marooned people and they have saved over 6,000 lives in the last few days. Singh expressed his happiness to see that all the peoples’ representatives in Assam are there with the flood-hit people in their respective constituencies.
On asked about declaring Assam’s flood as a national problem, he said by declaring flood as a national problem will not solve the matter. “We must find out what is the cause of the floods and how to mitigate the problem. We have already asked the state government to prepare an action plan in this regard,” he said.
Singh further stressed that the embankments of the rivers in the state should be strengthened and repaired as a short-term measure to stop floods but added that the Central government has been contemplating some long-term measures to find a lasting solution to the flood problem in Assam.
Floods spread, bring India to its knees
NEW DELHI, July 30 (agencies): A day after major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR hogged the headlines for the waterlogging they faced, attention on Saturday also turned to other parts of the country that have been facing flood-like situations. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam all continue to suffer from floods, while heavy rain in Karnataka pushed parts of downstream Tamil Nadu closer to inundation.
ASSAM
The floods in Assam have affected lakhs of residents of the state and displaced about 5,00,000 people, who have taken shelter at relief camps. Floods have also caused massive damage to infrastructure, including roads and bridges. Rising waters have also sparked concerns over the wellbeing of endangered one-horned rhinoceroses in the Kaziranga National Park.
Meghalaya
Three people - a young woman and two minors, drowned and two others were missing in the flood-hit areas of western Meghalaya on Saturday, even as thousands of people are living in makeshift shelters. A total number of 1,21,535 people in 258 villages were affected after the swollen Brahmaputra and Jingiram rivers submerged many villages under Phulbari, Rajabala, Singimari, Paham, Bhaitbari and Hallidayganj areas. The Jingiram, one of the major rivers in Garo Hills, caused havoc after a major embankment was breached. The backflow of water in the Brahmaputra in Assam aggravated the floods.
Arunachal
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijju on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas of Arunachal Pradesh where more than three lakh people have been affected.
More than 80 relief camps have been set up to accommodate the displaced people in the three districts. The flood waters have submerged 3,500 hectares of agricultural land in Namsai besides damaging roads and bridges and telecommunication infrastructure.
BIHAR
More than 2.2 million people in Bihar have been affected by floods across the state’s 10 districts, with rivers overflowing their banks, officials said on Saturday. An official of the water resources department said nearly 1,800 villages in 49 blocks in 10 districts have been affected by floods. Unconfirmed reports said at least 28 people, including women and children, were killed due to flood.
UTTAR PRADESH
The Uttar Pradesh government has set up 41 relief camps to provide aid and shelter to people who have been affected by flooding. Rain in the upper reaches of rivers that run through the Terai region means water continues to be released from barrages. The floods have meant farmers face the possibility of a total loss of the kharif crop on thousands of acres of land.
TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu on the other hand braced for flooding. Alerts have been issued in parts of northwestern Tamil Nadu after dams and barrages in the region received heavy inflows. The inflows continue to rise due to heavy rain in southern Karnataka, that has brought Bengaluru to a halt.
KARNATAKA
A number of low-lying areas continue to be flooded, with Kodichikkanahalli and Bilekahalli among the worst-hit. A number of lakes in the city have breached their banks, compounding the problem in surrounding areas.
