While the coronavirus pandemic is bringing the world to a standstill, Assam is also dealing with heavy rainfall which has resulted in floods. Nearly 2 lakh people have been affected by the flooding of the river Bramhaputra.
The state has also recorded a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. 597 cases have been reported in the state so far, out of which 62 have recovered and four patients have died.
According to an ANI report on Tuesday evening that quotes the State Disaster Management Authority, till now five districts have been affected by the rain. These are Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Darrang and Goalpara.
Reportedly, 229 villages have been affected by the heavy rains. According to NDTV, the worst hit is Goalpara- where 1.70 lakh people have been impacted and nine thousand of them have been shifted to relief camps.
According to a PTI report, a total of 35 relief camps have been opened and officials said that newly framed guidelines will be followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these relief camps.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an advisory predicting heavy rains and thunderstorms, suggesting that the situation in the northeast might get worse.
A COVID-19 screening and quarantine centre located at Chogalia in Dhubri district lying on the Assam-Bengal border was damaged on Tuesday due to heavy rains and thunderstorms.
At least 10 people in the facility were injured and were immediately admitted to the hospital. They have all since been discharged and moved to another quarantine centre.
The state cabinet has decided that each minister must oversee precautions to curb the rise of coronavirus cases. Specific districts and regions have been assigned to them, and starting from Wednesday, 27 May, they will also oversee the preparations to tackle the flooding.
The state government led by Sarbananda Sonowal met on Tuesday to discuss the two main problems the Assam is facing right now. The government has announced that strict quarantine measures will be followed and that the embankments on the River Brahmaputra will be repaired at the earliest.
"The Assam Council of Ministers (CoM) comprehensively discussed the flood situation in the state and directed DCs to take all necessary steps to repair embankments and stock essential food items for the flood affected people," Sonowal took to Twitter to add on Tuesday evening.
Sharing photos from the meeting Sonowal added that the CoM had "stressed on strict quarantine for people coming from outside the state to Assam".
(With inputs from PTI)
