As floods recede, hunger, diseases stalk Assam

Assam revenue minister Zoinath Sharma has put the initial estimate of damage at Rs 300 crore. “This is only a rough estimate, and we are yet to assess the damage caused to crops, both standing as well as those which perished in the granaries in the villages,” he added.

Medical teams with vaccines to help combat the threat of epidemics have deployed in the flood-hit areas, where more rain was forecast, Reuters quoted a government official as saying on Sunday.

Field staff in interior Assam had reported that people were suffering from fever and skin diseases caused by contaminated water, but there were no signs of epidemics so far, the official said.

“Medical teams have spread out to affected districts of Assam with medicines, vaccines and first-aid materials to set up medical centres,” Biren Dutta, Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department, told Reuters. “Our medical teams have sufficient medicines and every precaution has been taken to prevent outbreak of epidemics like cholera,” Dutta said.

Reports from Nalbari and Darrang among other districts say that people are facing shortage of foodgrains. Minister Sharma says maximum effort has been put in to reach out marooned families. But government relief is always government relief. At least one government official engaged in relief duty has been placed under suspension for misusing relief materials.

Red Cross has made an appeal to the international community to provide assistance to the state to the tune of $3.5 million, particularly to meet the need for foodgrains, water purification tablets, mosquito nets (Assam is a malaria-infested state), tarpaulins and clothes.

The UK government announced a $ 3,75,000 help for the Assam flood victims on Saturday. This is the first time that any direct international support has come to Assam’s flood victims since Independence.

The fund-starved state government has been so far able to fish out only Rs 41 crore for relief work, of which Rs 30 crore has come from the Calamity Relief Fund set up by the government of India. Assam has not been able to pay regular salaries to its government employees due to an unending cash crunch.

Added to the relief needs is the immediate restoration of communication. Roads and railway tracks have been badly affected by floods, the easternmost district of Dhemaji is still cut off.

The National Highway No 37, which links Guwahati to the rest of India was severed at four spots near Rangiya, about 60 kms from here two weeks ago, with supply of essential items coming to a grinding halt to the entire Northeastern region for four to five days. The highway has been temporarily repaired. One major downpour in the Bhutan hills north of lower Assam, and it will get delinked any moment.

The local meteorological office has forecast more heavy rain within 24 hours.