Assam Flood: Govt to start rebuilding infrastructure from September

Taking note of the devastated areas of the state due to heavy floods that washed away major regions, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government will start re-establishing infrastructure from the next month.

“Our assessment of infrastructure damage is underway and we will start infrastructure rebuilding works from September this year,” said CM Sarma during a press conference today.

The Chief Minister also announced the disbursement of funds for the survivors.

“We will disburse an amount of Rs 119.10 crores as flood rehabilitation fund through direct benefit transfer to those affected. Till now, 180 people across 34 districts have lost their lives due to floods and 19 people have died in landslides,” he added.

Earlier last month, the Fisheries Minister of Assam, Parimal Suklabaidya, said on July 11 that the fish farmers who incurred massive losses in the devastating Assam floods will be granted aid by the state government in order to revitalise the state’s fish industry.

Suklabaidya told ANI that about 80 per cent of fish farmers suffered a significant loss worth approximately Rs 1,000 crores in the disastrous floods, leading to the fish sector witnessing a huge setback.

“Nearly 80 per cent of the fish farmers of the state have faced a huge loss and the value of the loss is estimated to be over Rs 1,000 crore. We have collected the data from different districts of the state. By July 15, we will be able to get the exact figure. But the preliminary report shows that nearly 80 per cent of fish farmers of the state have been affected,” Parimal Suklabaidya said.

In an effort to resuscitate the fish industry, he added that the Assam government intended to supply aid and standard fish seeds to the afflicted fish farmers.

The Minister added that Assam is close to reaching self-sufficiency on the fish production front.

“Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY), Ghare Ghare Pukhuri Ghare Ghare Maach are going on in full swing across the state and the gap between total demand and production has now been decreasing. We have now achieved 96 per cent of total demand,” Suklabaidya said.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 8.9 million people in the state have been affected by the flood and landslides that struck Assam this year.

The disasters have claimed 192 lives in the state so far.

Around 2.40 lakh hectares of cropland in 34 districts have been affected by the flood.

Nearly 5.39 lakh people in 12 districts are still affected by the deluge. 38751 people have still lodged in 114 relief camps in eight districts.

Recently, two Inter-Ministerial Central Teams visited the affected areas to assess the damage.

The people of the state are also worried about developing post-flood complications including diseases. As the flood water starts receding, there is an increased risk of water-borne diseases through direct contact with polluted waters.