From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: With let up in rainfall, the flood situation in Assam turned for better since Thursday with Brahmaputra and its tributaries showing a receding trend.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said administration in flood-affected districts had been kept on alert though flood waters were receding in most parts of the state and it might recur in case of fresh rain.
Gogoi informed that year’s first wave of flood affected over 5.77 lakh people from 21 revenue circles in nine districts of the state. The situation was grave in worst affected Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur districts. Four human lives have been lost due to flood so far.The flood inundated crop land spread over 15,941 hectares and over 500 villages in the districts and flood-displaced people were sheltered in 262 relief camps. Gogoi today said another wave of flood might occur by September if there is intense rainfall in hills of neighbouring states where rivers originates before converging into the mainstream of Brahmaputra in Assam.
The CM claimed that the devastation due to floods could have been much more if the government had not built and repaired many of the embankments. He said state government would constitute a disaster management force of it’s on to deal with the flood devastation every year as well as other natural calamities. The force would be handy in providing prompt relief and rehabilitation in the wake of any natural calamity.
Meanwhile, Japanese Encephalitis and malaria which become rampant around this time of the year, so far claimed 86 lives in Assam. Gogoi informed that out of these 29 deaths were due to Japanese Encephalitis. He said Sivasagar district in Upper Assam was the worst hit by Encephalitis.
The state government has so far covered 30 lakh children in the age group of 1-15 years under Japanese Encephalitis vaccination drive and adult population will be covered in the next phase of vaccination. Moreover, 35 lakhs chemically treated mosquito nets have been provided to poor families in all the 27 districts as a precautionary measure against incidence malaria.Gogoi claimed that deaths due to malaria were gradually coming down in the state due to various prevent measures taken by the government. He pointed out that the disease kille over 300 people in the state in the year 2006.