Assam floods: Brahmaputra above danger mark, CM Himanta says water receding

The Assam chief minister asserted that the flood situation has improved even as an alert has been issued for the Brahmaputra flowing above the danger mark.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the flood situation was improving as the water flowing above the danger mark in Brahmaputra river and its tributaries continued to recede.

. Chief Minister Sarma has claimed that the Assam flood situation has improved and water is receding, while the SDRF also begins rescues in Hailakandi district (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)(AFP)

CM Sarma, who was inspecting areas facing water-logging problems in Dibrugarh, said that power had been shut off due to the area inundated with water.

“The flood situation has improved and water has receded, but it continues at the places where there has been a breach of the embedment. The power supply has been cut for the safety of the people. The power can be restored in 2 minutes but the power has been cut off as there is water everywhere,” he told ANI.

While the minister's evaluation suggested improvement in Dibrugarh, an alert was issued in Kamrup district where the Brahmaputra, Digaru and Kollong rivers are flowing above the danger mark and submerging vast amounts of land.

Six people have died and over 21 lakh people have been affected across 29 districts. This year, 62 people have died in the state from storms, landslides and floods, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

The State Disaster Response Force has been deployed along with the NDRF and fire services to carry out rescue operations across the state.

During his inspection, Sarma noted, “The drains in Dibrugarh are clogged because there is encroachment and drains are not being cleaned as the equipment cannot enter. We will discuss how we can clean it with smaller equipment once the water recedes.”

Governor Guland Chand Kataria and Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal also visited flood-affected districts, and state ministers were stationed in various districts for the next three days to monitor the situation.