TURA: Floodwaters have inundated vast tracts of land in the plains belt region of West Garo Hills with as many as 140 villages reeling under flood waters, say district officials.
The first information report sent to the Home Ministry by West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner P Bakshi states that 1.2 lakh people have been affected in Selsella and Tikrikilla blocks in West Garo Hills.
The deputy commissioner, who was accompanying a state ministerial team to the flooded plains on Wednesday, said as many as 22,898 households in two blocks having a population of 1.2 lakh have been affected by the floods since last week when torrential rains lashed Garo Hills and neighbouring Assam for four continuous days.
The Selsella block region has been most affected with 136 villages reeling under flood waters, while another four affected villages fall in the neighbouring Tikrikilla block.
The government has cleared the release of gratuitous relief for 14 days for the flood affected people.
The relief announcement was made during a ground survey of the flood-affected areas by a four-member ministerial team led by forest minister and Selsella MLA Clement Marak. The speaker of the Assembly and Phulbari MLA AT Mondal, parliamentary secretaries Ashahel D Shira of Rajabala and Michael T Sangma of Tikrikilla accompanied Marak to the plains belt areas.
The deputy commissioner while briefing the ministerial team informed that 24 relief camps have been set up to accommodate the flood-affected people while the public health engineering (PHE) department has been tasked with providing water storage tanks and drilling of tube wells for safe drinking water.
A 15-member state disaster rescue force (SDRF) team has also been deployed in the area for rescue operations besides 209 country boats requisitioned for use by emergency teams.
The damage caused by the flood waters is being assessed by several teams and preliminary reports indicate standing crops and fish ponds suffering extensive damages.
With the region witnessing a considerable dry spell in the past three days, there is optimism that the flood waters could recede within the next few days.
