I cannot even begin to fathom or forecast the crazy that is 2020. Just as the country is battling COVID-19, forest fires in Uttarakhand & locust swarms across the country – Assam has been hit with what is considered to be just the first wave of flash floods. The floods have displaced almost 2 lakh people, damaged property, crops & live stock.
WATCH | The first wave of flash floods in #Assam this year has affected over 30,000 people #NDTVBeeps pic.twitter.com/PH3OUJiq4v
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 26, 2020
Floods In Assam
Our hearts go out to the people of Assam as they are battling flash floods, with waters from surrounding rivers reaching dangerously high levels. The Brahmaputra river, called Luit in Assam and also the ninth largest river in world in terms of discharge flows through Guwahati. The river has gradually increased and is rising by 1-2 cm every hour. The water levels were rising since May 16th and it’s not slowing down. The rising water levels have been accredited to the torrential rains in Bangladesh and parts of India due to Cyclone Amphan.
Also read: 9 Natural Disasters That Have Already Happened In Just 5 Months Of 2020
The water level of Brahmaputra river, Beki, Puthimari, Jia Bharali, Noona river are flowing above danger level marks in many places across Assam. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has said that the floods have affected over 2 lakh people in 229 villages in 17 Revenue Circles across seven districts: Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Nalbari and Tinsukia.
#AssamFloods update – 30 thousand people ravaged in 5 districts, damaged crops and roads. 9 thousand people shifted to relief camps at Goalpara district. pic.twitter.com/FcUuM1bHzT
— SilcharToday.Com (@SilcharToday) May 25, 2020
Approximately 1.68 lakh people have been affected in Goalpara district, about 11,000 people in Nalbari district, 3,000 people are from the Kalgachia revenue circle in Barpeta district and North Lakhimpur revenue circle in Lakhimpur district. People are taking refuge in shelters that have been set up across the state.
In terms of damage, more than 1,000 hectares of crop area are now submerged while 13,500 domestic animals and 3,000 poultry have been affected.
Flood fury of Assam amidst of #COVID19 pandemic. Assam is in serious crisis.#AssamFloods #AssamFloods2020 pic.twitter.com/BkeJyZ8sHw
— Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi ?? (@NANDANPRATIM) May 27, 2020
The state is battling this horrible situation, even as the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Assam. So far about 616 cases were detected, but with people taking shelter together, the number may rise drastically.