Update, 26 July, 2016
Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA) report that over 1 million people are now affected by flooding in the state, as of 26 July. Over 2,000 villages in 18 districts have been flooded, with almost 900 houses destroyed in Jorhat district.
Over the last 24 hours flooding has been reported once again in the districts of Morigaon, Sontipur, Biswanath and Darrang, bringing the total currently affected to 18. The districts affected are:
Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivsagar, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Nagoan, Dibrurgarh, Chirang, Goalpara, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Morigaon, Sontipur, Biswanath and Darrang.
Original Article, 25 July, 2016
Monsoon rains in river catchments continue to cause flooding in the Indian state of Assam. Communities in some affected areas have been living with floods for over 3 weeks.
The flood situation continues to worsen in the state, where further fatalities have been reported, bringing the death toll to 7 since the current wave of flooding began in early July.
In Arunachal Pradesh, around 4,000 people have been forced from their homes by recent flooding, where rivers, including the Siang River, are overflowing.
Over the last few days the monsoon has brought heavy rain to parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.
India’s Metrological Department (IMD) has issued a red level (highest) warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya, Uttrakhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh over the coming days.
India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Saturday, 23 July, that it has deployed 37 Urban Search and Rescue teams (USAR teams) at various location of the country in Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh “in connection with prepositioning monsoon deployment”.
NDRF said that “these USAR teams comprise of trained responders, Inflatable Rubber Boats (IRBs), life jackets, deep divers, deep diving set and other equipment used to search and rescue people in flood situations.”
India’s Central Water Commission (CWC) report that rivers are at warning or danger levels at 48 locations across several states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Assam
Several rivers including the Brahmaputra are flowing above the danger mark in Assam, where flooding is currently affecting over 600,000 people across 1,200 villages.
The Brahmaputra is at or above danger levels in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sontipur, Goalpara and Dhubri. Other rivers flowing above danager levels include the Burhidehing, Subansiri, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Puthimari, Beki and Sankosh.
Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA) say that 14 districts are currently afected by the flooding: Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivsagar, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Nagoan, Dibrurgarh, Chirang, Goalpara, Tinsukia and Dhubri. Previously, Biswanath and Morigaon were also affected.
Eighty relief camps and 50 relief distribution centres have been set up. Over 21,000 flood victims are currently displaced and are staying in the relief camps. Around 8,000 of the displaced are in Chirang and 5,000 in Dhubri.
Arunachal Pradesh
Around 4,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes after flooding in Arunachal Pradesh.
Levels of major rivers and their tributaries have risen rapidly over the last few days. CWC reports that the Siang River at Passighat, East Siang district, is currently at 154.01 metres, above the danger level of 153.96. The highest level recorded at Passighat is 157.54 metres set in June, 2000.
The districts of Lohit, Namsai, East Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Changlang have all been affected. Deputy chief minister Chowna Mein visited affected communities over the weekend.
The worst hit district is Namsai where the 4,000 displaced are staying in 16 relief camps. The district administration is providing essential relief materials to the affected.
NDRF teams rescued around 200 people and evacuated them to designated relief camps. No casualties have been reported.
