The flood situation in Southern Assam remains critical with severe disruptions to rail and road links, leading to the loss of seven lives and impacting over 2,50,000 people.

Additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been airlifted to the Barak Valley region to bolster the response efforts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the floods have severely affected Assam’s southern and central districts, including Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Hojai, and Nagaon.

Train services between Guwahati, Silchar, and Tripura have been severely disrupted due to a breach in the tracks, resulting in the cancellation of several trains.

Normal life has come to a halt, as all educational institutions remain closed. The administration has urged residents to stay indoors.

This deployment is in addition to the NDRF teams already stationed in the region. These proactive measures aim to provide immediate assistance and support to manage and mitigate the effects of the flooding in Barak Valley.

The water levels of several rivers, including the Kopili, Barak, Katakhal, and Kushiyara, are flowing above the danger mark following torrential rains.

Floodwaters have submerged 4,931 hectares of crop area in the affected districts. The administration has set up 187 relief camps and distribution centres, where 68,600 people are taking shelter.

The nature’s fury has also impacted a total of 1,023,063 domestic animals.

The NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Police, Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES), and local administration, are engaged in rescue operations in many flood-hit areas. On Friday, these teams rescued 615 people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of those who died due to natural disasters in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, and West Bengal.

The Prime Minister also announced that those injured in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal would receive Rs 50,000 each.

“An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased due to the natural disasters in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, and West Bengal. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on ‘X’.