india

Updated: Jul 16, 2019 22:15 IST

Assam continued to reel under floods on Tuesday with 52.5 lakh people in 30 of the state’s 33 districts affected, said an official report.

On instruction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister for water resources Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reached here on Tuesday for a first hand assessment of the situation.

The minister held a review meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and informed about the release of Rs 251 cr as first installment to State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

“The floods in Assam are a concern for the entire country. I would like to assure that the Centre will extend all help to the state to tackle the situation effectively,” Shekhawat told journalists.

According to the state disaster management authority, 4,663 villages in 120 revenue circles have been affected by flood waters. Over 1.47 lakh displaced persons are taking shelter in 695 relief camps.

The death toll in the second wave of floods in the state has risen to 20 with five deaths reported from Barpeta (1), Dhubri (1), Morigaon (2) and Nagaon (1). Two more persons died in landslides in Guwahati.

The Brahmaputra and several other rivers were flowing over the danger mark at several places. Standing crop in over 1.63 hectare area has also been affected due to floods.

In view of the situation, the next session of Assam assembly, which was to begin from July 18, has been postponed till July 26.

The floods have also taken a toll on wild animals in the Kaziranga National Park, the biggest habitat of the one-horned rhino.

Three rhinos and an elephant have died in the past 24 hours due to floods. According to divisional forest officer RB Saikia, the total animal deaths in the park till Tuesday was 30, including 8 hog deer and a Sambar deer killed by vehicle hits.