Assam needs special assistance to tackle flood, erosions: State govt

GUWAHATI, JULY 25: Assam requires special assistance to tackle the twin problems of flood and erosion instead of routine funds, the state government said on July 25.
“We have to bring it in priority list. We need special treatment and funds for handling flood and erosion problems. So far we are getting normal fund under the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) category,” Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta told the state Assembly.
He said the funds received through SDRF could not be utilised for erosion caused by rivers, but it can be used for the same if caused by the sea as per the guidelines.
Previous governments had failed to get the Centre declare the perennial problem of Assam flood as ‘National Calamity’, Mahanta said in reply to a question by Asom Gana Parishad MLA Pabindra Deka.
The minister said as of today, over 6.41 lakh people were suffering from the latest wave of flood across more than 1,200 villages in 14 districts.
In 81 relief camps, 21,931 people have taken shelter. Besides, the flood has caused massive erosion in many parts of the state, Mahanta said, adding the government has ordered all departments concerned to take steps to handle the situation.
Meanwhile, flood situation in Assam remains critical with the Brahmaputra river overflowing in several districts, submerging houses and agricultural fields of around 12.5 lakh people and inundating Kaziranga National Park, authorities said on Monday.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) today said the deluge has taken away chunks of main roads in Morigaon, Jorhat and Dibrugarh districts, snapping road communications and breached river embankments in Kokrajhar, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh and Golaghat districts causing water to rush into vast tracks of human habitation.
The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are overflowing in 18 districts of the state, flooding Rhino homelands in Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wild Life Sanctuary.
The flood-hit districts, where the swollen Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing above the danger level, are Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Dibrugarh, Chirang, Goalpara, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Darrang districts, the ASDMA said.
The army, SDRF and NDRF are assisting the district administrations in evacuating the affected population to safer places, the authority said.