Express News Service
GUWAHATI: With flood and landslides snapping rail and road communications in Assam’s hill district of Dima Hasao, the state government took the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to dispatch essential items and rescue the affected.
The Army also joined the rescue operation. They rescued some 900 of the marooned, including women and children, in Hojai district.
The situation statewide continued to remain grim amid incessant rains for the past week. Rivers such as Brahmaputra, Kopili, Disang, Kushiyara and Barak were in a spate, flowing above the danger level.
Over 6.62 lakh people in 27 of the state’s 34 districts have been affected. Nine persons have lost their lives so far — four in flood and five in landslides. Five others were reported missing.
Over fifty-eight thousand hectares of cropland were affected. The authorities set up 217 relief camps where 49,400 people were taking shelter.
GD Tripathi, chief executive member of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, told the IAF dispatched 12 metric tonnes of foodgrains to Dima Hasao on Thursday. The first consignment on Wednesday was of four metric tonnes.
“Supplies have started going to (district headquarters) Haflong after the National Highways Authority of India opened the highway yesterday. Some smaller vehicles are carrying essentials,” Tripathi said.
“Whatever disruptions happened as regards the national highway and the railway in Dima Hasao, we are putting all-out efforts to restore it. We are ensuring that people receive enough relief so that the problem does not escalate to the next level,” he added.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it would take 45 days to restore train services in Dima Hasao. Trains pass through this district to go to southern Assam’s Barak Valley, Tripura and Manipur.
#AssamFloodsAir dropping of food materials continue in Halflong today also with the help of Indian Airforce. Gratitude.@IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/Pg36DDlHLm
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 19, 2022
Tripathi said the road to Barak Valley, which was blocked following landslides in Meghalaya, was functional and supplies were moving.
He also said that the government was ready to stockpile supplies for 15 days in the valley by putting in extra efforts. He said the IAF’s help would be taken if required.
After one-way airfare from Guwahati to Silchar in the valley went up to Rs 31,000, the state government tied up with Flybig. The fare has been fixed at Rs 3,000.
Meanwhile, the Guwahati-based Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) warned of widespread rainfall in the next two days.
“Moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal is likely to continue over to Northeast India due to low-level southerly/south-westerly winds during 19-21 May 2022. Under the influence of above system, widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura,” the RMC said in a statement.
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