Guwahati : The grievous flood situation in Assam over the past month has claimed 58 lives across the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported. According to the ASDMA, six more people lost their lives on Saturday, raising the death toll in the state from 52 to 58. Dhubri is the worst-hit district, followed by Cachar and Darrang.

The destructive floodwaters have resulted in loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure, road closures, crop destruction, and livestock loss. Hundreds of people have been left homeless and unsettled. According to the flood report of ASDMA, on July 6, two people drowned in floodwaters in the Charaideo district, and one person each in Goalpara, Morigaon, Sonitpur, and Tinsukia districts.

The overall flood situation in the state on Saturday slightly improved, but over 2.396 million people in 29 districts are affected by the second wave of floods.

Dhubri is the worst-hit district, with 797,918 people affected, followed by 175,231 people in Cachar, 163,218 people in Darrang, 131,246 people in Barpeta, 109,470 people in Golaghat, 105,372 people in Nalbari, and 100,926 people in South Salmara district.

The floodwaters have submerged 3,535 villages under 107 revenue circles and inundated 68,768.5 hectares of crop area.

The flood-affected districts are Dhubri, Cachar, Hailakandi, Kamrup, Goalpara, Charaideo, Biswanath, Barpeta, Nalbari, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, South Salmara, Nagaon, Morigaon, Karimganj, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Darrang, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Karbi Anglong, Tinsukia, Majuli, and Kamrup (M).

Ten rivers, including the Brahmaputra River, are in spate and flowing above the danger level in many places. The water level of the Brahmaputra River is above the danger mark at Neamatighat, Tezpur, Dhubri, and Goalpara.

Over 526,000 people are taking shelter in 577 relief camps and distribution centers in 27 districts. As per reports, 1,549,161 animals have been affected by the deluge.

On the other hand, 114 wild animals, including six rhinos, have died in the flood in Kaziranga National Park. Sonali Ghosh, Field Director of Kaziranga National Park, said that so far 114 wild animals have died in the flood in the park. The park authority and forest department have also rescued wild animals.

The flood situation in the national park has improved, but 66 forest camps of the park are still underwater.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Jyotinagar area in Guwahati on Saturday and met the parents of Abinash Sarkar, who went missing after falling into a drain near a temple in the locality following the devastating floods.

The Chief Minister extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, visited the incident site, and took stock of the ongoing search operation. He directed the concerned departments and search teams to intensify their operation to locate the child.

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Dibrugarh town to review the flood situation. He toured the affected areas on foot, interacting with residents and engaging with experts to find community-driven solutions to the inundation problem.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday for describing Assam’s floods as a “flood-like situation”, and said it shows a lack of knowledge and sincerity as more than 70 people have lost their lives due to the deluge.

Gogoi said this is not the first time that Shah has made a “strange remark” on floods in Assam, and added that it only highlights the failure of the BJP government in helping the people of the northeast combat the impacts of climate change.

“The statement of Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah regarding the tragedy in Assam shows a lack of knowledge and sincerity.  More than 70 people have died due to the floods yet the Minister chooses to describe the current disaster as flood-like situation,” the Congress MP wrote on ‘X’.

On Saturday, Shah said “a flood-like situation” has occurred in Assam due to heavy rains and that he has spoken to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Union minister also said that the NDRF and SDRF were working on a war footing, providing relief and rescuing affected people. The Jorhat MP also said that the people of Assam were in distress due to the recent floods and erosion. The level of erosion that is taking place every year in Majuli is scary, he added.

Gogoi said erosion creates more long-term losses compared to floods as villages, schools, acres of farmland, homes and health centres are swallowed up by the rivers.

“It is the poor esp women and children who face the greatest brunt from climate change. We need massive investment in flood and erosion management in Assam. International institutions, local communities, district and state administrations, central government everyone needs to lend a hand,” he said.

Gogoi also expressed grief over the death of an eight-year-old boy, who was swept away in an overflooded drain after falling from his father’s scooter in Guwahati two days ago.

 “One of the most tragic stories of loss during the recent floods in Assam. An 8 year old boy riding with his father falls and gets swept away in an over flooded drain. Ordinary Indians are paying taxes but continue to be neglected,” he said in another post on ‘X’.

The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Sunday with close to 24 lakh people reeling under waters, official sources said.