Guwahati: The number of people affected by floods in Assam dropped to 1,78,837 on Saturday, offering some relief even as the number of affected districts increased from five to seven, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
The disaster management authority reported no deaths during the previous 24 hours, leaving the overall flood death toll in the state unchanged at 82.
Despite the improving trend, the Dikhow River at Sivasagar and the Dhansiri (South) River at Numaligarh in Golaghat district continued to flow above the danger level.
Flood conditions persisted in Golaghat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Bajali, Dhemaji, Sonitpur and Jorhat, affecting 20 revenue circles and 349 villages.
While the affected population declined from 1.92 lakh reported on Friday, flooding spread to two additional districts during the same period.
Charaideo continued to record the highest number of affected residents at 75,199, followed by Sivasagar with 58,824 people still facing the impact of the floods.
Relief operations remained in progress, with government agencies and disaster response teams continuing assistance in the affected areas. The ASDMA said 44 relief camps were housing nearly 15,000 displaced people, while 17 relief distribution centres were supplying essential assistance to 5,569 people.
The impact on agriculture also continued, as about 15,060 hectares of farmland remained under water. Livestock losses were also reported, with 1,543 animals swept away and another 6,765 affected by the floods.
Authorities are still assessing the overall impact of the floods, with residential buildings, road infrastructure, bridges, educational institutions and livestock shelters among the assets reported to have suffered damage in the affected districts.
Despite the decline in the number of affected people, floodwaters continue to disrupt daily life in several parts of Upper Assam, particularly in Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat.