The Assam government on Monday released the first tranche of interim relief worth around Rs 75,000 per household for flood-affected families. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma disbursed the assistance from Dibrugarh as he continued his tour of the worst-hit districts.
The relief comes even as the flood toll in Upper Assam climbed to 85 after three more deaths were reported from Sivasagar on Sunday. While the number of affected people has declined to 1,36,200, Sivasagar remains among the worst-hit districts in the current wave of flooding.
Officials said families whose houses were severely damaged in Sivasagar, Charaideo Jorhat and Golaghat districts will receive Rs 15,000 under one component of the first tranche, along with other assistance, taking the total interim relief to Rs 75,000 per household.
Sarma is also scheduled to visit parts of Sivasagar to review relief and rehabilitation efforts and interact with affected residents. Floodwaters continue to impact Charaideo, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts.
Although the number of affected people has come down from nearly 1.8 lakh on Saturday, Sivasagar remains the worst-hit with more than 55,000 affected residents, followed by Charaideo with around 40,000 and Jorhat with over 22,000.
The state administration is currently operating 54 relief camps and distribution centres across the five districts, sheltering 13,771 people.
Meanwhile, 15,422 hectares of farmland remain submerged, while the Dhansiri river continues to flow above the danger level at Numaligarh in Golaghat district.
The state has begun distributing interim relief even as the flood situation remains grim, with 85 deaths, over 1.36 lakh people still affected across five districts and authorities continuing relief and rehabilitation operations in the worst-hit areas.
As floodwaters gradually recede, the focus is shifting from immediate rescue efforts to rehabilitation, with restoring livestock-based livelihoods expected to be a key component of the recovery process.
Livestock hit hard
Assam’s latest wave of floods has affected 24,460 animals, highlighting the severe impact of the disaster on rural livelihoods, in addition to the widespread damage to homes, crops and infrastructure.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s (ASDMA) flood bulletin issued on August 2, the affected livestock includes 13,835 large animals, 9,754 small animals and 871 poultry birds. Dhemaji is the worst-affected district, reporting 10,527 affected animals, including 6,310 large animals such as cattle and buffaloes, besides more than 4,000 goats, sheep and other small livestock. Golaghat follows with 9,077 affected animals, while Jorhat has recorded 3,114. Sivasagar has reported 1,742 affected animals, including 851 poultry birds.
The flood has also forced many families to move their livestock to safer locations. According to the ASDMA report, relief distribution centres are currently sheltering or supporting 7,553 large animals, 6,984 small animals, and 8,800 poultry birds.
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