Flood situation in Assam remains grim, hundreds of villages affected

Floodwaters have started receding in parts of Assam but the situation continued to remain grim on Thursday in several districts of the state with hundreds of villages still affected.

The floods, which claimed 28 lives, have forced over 1.5 lakh people to take shelter in 427 relief camps functioning across the state, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

"The condition is getting better in various districts of Upper Assam now. However, villagers are forced to live in the relief camps as the water is yet to completely recede. With dwelling units submerged, people in many of the affected areas have not returned to their villages," a local told .

Disaster management teams have paid visits but relief material has not reached several areas, he added.

"All the food grains we had got destroyed. We have requested the state government to provide food and other essential items. Areas in districts such as Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Golaghat are still flooded. If it rains again, the situation will worsen," another villager said.

"Above all, we are suffering food shortage. Now that the agricultural land is completely flooded, it will take some time to revive everything," villagers said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been pressed into service in the flood-affected areas for search and rescue operations.

( With inputs from ANI )