Floods hit over 30,000 families in GH; CM inspects affected areas

TURA, July 5: Incessant rain coupled with the rising level of river waters in Assam have led to floods in several parts of Garo Hills, directly affecting over 30,000 families.
Following the continuous rise in water levels across the plains belt of Garo Hills over the past week, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday paid a visit to the area along with Selsella MLA Arbinstone Marak and officials of the district administration.
The CM visited three of the worst-affected villages, namely Haripur, Namabila and Silkata before paying a visit to the affected villagers who have been camped on the roadside for the past few days along with their livestock.
The CM also handed over relief materials to families that were camped on the AMPT road in order to keep themselves safe.
“We have paid a visit to the areas affected and have found water that is more than 5-6 feet above normal in many places. As per the estimates that I have received, more than 30,000 families have been affected. The situation is bad but the administration has been in action to mitigate the crisis and needs to be appreciated,” said the CM during his visit.
For now, there has been no loss of life during the current deluge though the numbers of affected could increase as more villages come under water.
“Relief has been provided to those affected and most have been moved to shelters and safety. We will wait and see how the situation pans out and if we find citizens that could be in danger, we will help shift them out to safer climes. We will continue to monitor the situation. This is a natural calamity and we will do everything from the government and the administration to help those affected,” the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Jagdish Chelani informed that Gratuitous Relief (GR) has been announced for those affected for 7 days to start off and depending on the situation, it will be evaluated.
“Till Thursday, at least 15 villages and more than 30,000 families have been impacted. Relief is being provided. We are awaiting a report to see if more will come under the ambit. The worst affected are the Selsella and Batabari C&RD Blocks,” informed the DC.
With more rains being forecast over the coming days, the situation in the plain belt is expected to get worse before it can get better.