Additional NDRF team airlifted to Assam’s Barak Valley amid severe floods

Guwahati: In view of the flood situation in Assam’s Barak Valley, an additional team from the 1st battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was airlifted from Guwahati to Silchar on Saturday, (June 1) morning.

The deployment of this battalion is in addition to the NDRF team already stationed and carrying out relief and rescue operations in Southern Assam.

This deployment is intended to provide immediate assistance and support to manage and mitigate the effects of severe flooding in the Barak Valley, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.

Cachar in Barak Valley is the worst-hit district of Assam where a total of 1,19,997 people have been affected by the recent wave of floods.

As many as 192 villages of the district are submerged under the flood waters. Other than Cachar, 52,684 people of 157 villages in Karimganj district and 10,165 people of 34 villages in Hailakandi district have been affected by the floods, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its flood bulletin on Friday, (May 31) evening.

As many as 15,626 flood-affected people in Cachar are taking refuge in 83 relief camps set up by the district administration. On the other hand, 3,937 and 2,706 flood victims are taking shelter in 28 and 23 relief camps in Karimganj and Hailakandi respectively.

A total of 1,355.5 hectares of cropland in Cachar have also been affected by the surging flood waters, it said.

While three people, including a child, perished in the flood waters in Cachar on Friday, another two, including a child, died due to drowning in Hailakandi the same day.

As many as 8,00,221 livestock and poultry have also been affected in Karimganj followed by Hailakandi (52,442) and Cachar (52,366), it added.

Other than NDRF, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES), civil defence, trained volunteers and local police and respective district administrations are working round the clock to extend help to the affected people in all three districts of the Barak Valley, it said.

As of Friday, the current wave of floods has affected a total of 3,49,045 people in 560 villages and 25 revenue circles across eight districts of Assam.

The districts that have been affected by floods are Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Nagaon, West Karbi Anglong, Karbi Anglong and Dima-Hasao, the ASDMA bulletin further said.