Assam floods: Thousands homeless, 52 dead as victims plead for assistance

The severe flooding in Assam over the past month has resulted in 52 deaths extensive damage to infrastructure road closures crop destruction and significant livestock loss The deluge has also left thousands homeless Jubbar Ali 39 lives on an embankment in Barpeta district with his two kids wife and ailing mother after their home was devastated by floods and river erosion reported ANIAccording to the report just a month ago Jubbar and his family lived in a concrete house However the Brahmaputra Rivers flooding forced them to become homeless Initially they took safety in another villagers house but it was also submerged They now dwell in a makeshift tent on an embankment in Rowmari Pathar which is part of the Chenga assembly seat in Barpeta districtDue to erosion my house was completely destroyed a month ago Now my family and I are living in another villagers house We have no home I have two daughters a mother and a wife The house we were staying in is also flooded and we are now living under a makeshift tent at a relief camp Jubbar Ali explainedJubbar Ali isnt alone Around 100 households in the Rowmari Pathar area are experiencing similar issues having lost their homes to Brahmaputra River erosion during the last 12 months the report addedWithin 12 months around 100 families have lost their homes due to erosion and now they are living either in relief camps or other safer places There was a big market here but it is now in the middle of the Brahmaputra River The river has swallowed 50 other houses in the last two years If this erosion continues our village will become history in the next 23 years Jubbar Ali saidI request the government to save this area and the villagers Many houses have been damaged in this years flood and people are facing massive problems he implored per ANI reportThe Rowmari Pathar area is home to approximately 500 households the majority of whom have lost their land and homes due to erosion and flooding Another villager Safikul Alom told ANI that the river devoured their homes and farmland affecting around 100 familiesAround 100150 houses were destroyed during this flood and most houses in this village are flooded We are facing lots of problems and the erosion and flood problems are not minor issues they are significant problems Peoples dreams have been shattered The entire village is now in the middle of the river People who lost their homes are now living in makeshift tents on the road If the government takes protective measures here we will be saved Safikul Alom statedAccording to the ANI report both river erosion and flooding have become major problems in the Barpeta district The current flood has affected nearly 140000 people and submerged 179 villages in the district Additionally floodwaters have inundated 15715 hectares of crop areaSo far nearly 242 million people have been affected throughout 30 districts in the state Dhubri is one of the worsthit areas with 775721 people affected Floodwaters submerged 6349097 hectares of cropland and 3518 settlements in 112 revenue circles were affectedThe water level in the Brahmaputra River is above the danger mark at Neamatighat Guwahati Goalpara and Dhubri Cachar Kamrup Hailakandi Hojai Dhubri Nagaon Morigaon Goalpara Dibrugarh Nalbari Dhemaji Bongaigaon Lakhimpur Jorhat Sonitpur Kokrajhar Karimganj South Salmara Tinsukia Charaideo Barpeta Karbi Anglong Golaghat Sivasagar Chirang Majuli Biswanath Darrang Karbi Anglong West and Kamrup Metropolitan are also affected the report statedOne child has gone missing in the Kamrup Metropolitan District Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Dibrugarh town on Friday to assess the flood situation He walked through the impacted areas speaking with residents and consulting with experts to develop communitydriven solutions to the flood problemAddressing the media about the flood situation Sarma stated Currently the flood situation in Assam is improving and the water level has dropped However flooding occurs in the areas surrounding the embankment bridge Were trying to help everyoneThere has been a power outage in Dibrugarh for six days Sarma said that the power supply had been shut off to prevent electrocutionsThe flood situation in Assam continues dismal and urgent with 52 people killed