Over five lakh people in Assam have been affected by the first wave of flooding this year
Floodwaters in four districts of Assam began receding today, bringing some relief to hundreds of people who had been marooned for a week in the first wave of flooding in the state.
At least 18 people have died in Assam due to the flood in the past week. The worst affected districts include Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar districts in the Barak Valley and Hojai in central Assam.
The flooding also threw a dampener on Eid celebrations of many like 45-year-old Rehman Ali from Berberi Gaon in Hojai district.
"Floods are not new for us but this time it happened just ahead of Eid. We even could not offer namaaz properly. The standing paddy crop has been damaged", Mr Ali told NDTV, putting his crop loss at Rs 1 lakh.
In Jamunamukh, people of Dekaruwa Gaon have made makeshift camps along roads, alleging that the government was yet to reach them in this hour of crisis.
"We have mostly been without food for the past few days. With kids, it's a real challenge to cope. Till now, no one (from the government) has come to ask how we are coping", claimed Husnaara Begum, a flood victim.
The state government says over 200 flood relief camps have been set up in four districts in which over 55,000 people have taken shelter.
Last year, Assam witnessed four spells of flooding which left 85 people dead. This year, floods have hit a population of over five lakh. At least 28 deaths have been reported due to first wave of flooding this year in the entire Northeast.