Assam floods: JP Nadda assures all help from Centre as he visits affected regions

On Wednesday, Union health minister JP Nadda toured flood-stricken regions of Assam, pledging all assistance from the central government to help restore normalcy. Upon arriving at the scene, Nadda personally witnessed the devastation wrought by the river originating from Mon in Nagaland. He reported that lives, livestock, and homes had been lost, and the government stood by the affected communities.

Accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nadda surveyed the impact of heavy rains from neighboring Nagaland on July 19, which caused the Dikhow river to overflow. The flooding in Nepalikhuti, a village in Sibsagar district near the Nagaland border, displaced hundreds of families, destroyed their homes and belongings, and left most livestock dead.

Large debris from collapsed structures and silt from the river covered nearly the entire village. Nadda assured the public that the central government would provide unwavering support, both financially and otherwise, to aid in rehabilitation efforts. He promised to visit other affected areas in the state throughout the day and hold a meeting with state officials to devise a comprehensive plan for relief and rehabilitation.

As of Monday, 89 fatalities were reported, with Sibsagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, and Jorhat districts bearing the brunt of the disaster. Approximately 122,000 people remained affected, two weeks after the flooding began. On Monday, 335 villages in 10 districts continued to be impacted. Around 12,000 individuals displaced by the floods were taking shelter in 39 relief camps and 16 relief distribution centers.