Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday that the flood situation in the state is far more severe than official assessments indicate, with many villages still completely cut off, fresh bodies continuing to be recovered and thousands of people stranded without relief due to inundation.
Speaking to reporters at Sonari in Charaideo district, the Chief Minister added that while a large number of people have taken shelter in relief camps, many others continue to remain in marooned villages that are yet to be reached by rescue and relief teams.
"Entire villages remain submerged and there are places where neither the government nor relief agencies have been able to reach. New bodies are still being recovered and the extent of the damage is much greater than what has been officially documented so far," he said.
Chief Minister Sarma added that he would personally visit the affected areas and assured that the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the state administration were working together to rescue stranded residents.
He acknowledged the immense hardship faced by flood victims, saying many families had lost their homes, livestock, educational certificates and other essential belongings in the deluge."There is no limit to the suffering. We will stand with the people and extend every possible assistance," he said.
The Chief Minister also admitted that several people remain trapped in inaccessible locations. He cited an instance where a patient could not be evacuated and had to be kept on a battery-operated rickshaw due to the lack of access. Chief Minister Sarma said that rescue teams had even attempted aerial operations using helicopters but weather and terrain conditions had limited access to several areas.
Referring to the cloudburst in neighbouring Nagaland, the Chief Minister added that the Assam government had been informed by the Nagaland administration immediately after the incident, but the sudden nature of the disaster left little scope for preventive action. He said that the state government would continue issuing regular flood bulletins but cautioned that the actual damage on the ground was significantly higher than the figures reflected in official reports.