Guwahati, May 23 The situation in the pre-monsoon floods, which affecting the large parts of Assam since May 13, further improved on Monday even as 6.5 lakh people in 22 districts still in distress and with one more person died during the past 24 hours in Cachar district taking the overall death toll to 25.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that at least 6,50,402 people, including 1,25,471 children, of 1,709 villages have been affected in 22 of the state's 34 districts.
Of the 25 deaths, 20 died in floods and five in landslides in different districts.
An ASDMA release said that 82,503 hectares crop areas have remained affected in flood hit areas. In all, 366 relief camps and 290 relief distribution centres have been opened in all the affected areas. A total of 90,597 people are staying in the relief camps.
Among the worst-hit districts in the state - 3,51,070 people were affected in Nagaon alone followed by 1,98,128 people in Cachar, 44,514 in Hojai, 40,345 in Morigaon, 7,763 in Darrang, and 5,682 in Karimganj.
The Army, the Assam Rifles, the National Disaster Response Force, and the State Disaster Response Force, along with the district administrations, are working round the clock to rescue the stranded people and to provide relief to the marooned men, women and children.
The water of Kopili river was flowing above the danger level in several places.
The ASDMA release said that 24 MT food items, 1,500 litres of cooking oil and 2,000 liters of diesel have been air transported to three remote areas - Harangajao, Hajaichak and Leikul - of flood- and landslide-devastated Dima Hasao district on Monday.
Several Ministers, including Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika, and Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, are camping in the flood-ravaged areas to supervise the rescue and relief operations.
The situation in the hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in Dima Hasao district remained serious on Monday as inclement continued to batter the area, affecting the Lumding-Badarpur single line railway route, which connects Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the southern part of Assam with the rest of the country.
According to NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer, Sabyasachi De, in the Lumding Division, train services have been either cancelled till June end.
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