Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the flood situation in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh through telephonic conversations with Chief Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Pema Khandu, assuring both states of full support from the Centre as the first major spell of the monsoon affected nearly 68,000 people across the two northeastern states in the last 24 hours.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), around 46,000 people across seven districts remained affected by floods till Monday evening. Dhemaji district, bordering Arunachal Pradesh, accounted for the worst impact, with nearly 41,000 people affected. In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, the State Disaster Management Department reported that more than 22,000 people were affected by rain and floods across three districts over the past 24 hours, including nearly 20,000 in Siang district alone.In a successful rescue operation on Monday, all five people stranded on an island in the Sisiri River in the Dambuk area of Lower Dibang Valley district were safely rescued by a joint team comprising the Indian Air Force (IAF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local rescuers. The state disaster management department said all five were rescued successfully—one by the NDRF, two by local rescuers, and the remaining two by an IAF helicopter.In Anjaw district, an excavator driver engaged in clearing a road blocked by a landslide is feared dead after being struck by a massive falling rock. The victim reportedly hailed from Assam’s Kamrup district.A dramatic landslide on the Likabali-Basar Road in Siji block point also drew attention after a motorcyclist narrowly escaped being buried when an eroding hillside swept him and his motorcycle into a flow of mud. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, has since gone viral on social media.Rain and flood-related disruptions had affected connectivity and normal life in nine districts of Arunachal Pradesh by Monday.In Assam, joint rescue efforts by the SDRF, NDRF, and the district administration evacuated 157 people by boats from flood-hit Dhemaji during the last 24 hours, ASDMA said. On Monday, four people were swept away by the swollen Simen River in Dhemaji. While three were rescued, one person remains missing.A total of 655 displaced people were staying in relief camps in the district on Monday.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he had updated Amit Shah on the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken in the state. “He (Shah) has also assured us all possible support and assistance from the Government of India to deal with this situation,” Sarma said.Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also briefed the Union Home Minister on the evolving flood situation and the ongoing rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. In a social media post, Khandu said, “I deeply appreciate his prompt concern and unwavering commitment towards the welfare of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.”The flooding has hit Assam’s Dhemaji district particularly hard after torrential rainwater from neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh flowed downstream, causing extensive damage to road and rail infrastructure. Rail connectivity to the easternmost part of Assam on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra remains suspended after a railway bridge over the Simen River partially collapsed on Sunday. Dibrugarh emerged as the second worst-affected district in Assam, with nearly 4,000 people facing floodwaters.The floods have also affected agriculture during the ongoing paddy sowing season. ASDMA reported that more than 4,000 hectares of cropland across Assam were under water.Following the washing away of the iron bridge over the Kemi River—which connects border areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in Jonai, Dhemaji—on Sunday, Assam Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta visited the site on Monday along with Cabinet colleague Sushanta Borgohain to assess the damage.CM Sarma said state ministers and MLAs had already reached Dhemaji to oversee relief efforts while the government continued to closely monitor the evolving flood situation. “Along with taking necessary measures to mitigate the flood situation, special emphasis has been given to ensuring that the families in the relief camps remain safe and receive all essential facilities,” Sarma wrote in a social media post on Monday.“I have come to know that the normal movement of the public has been disrupted in some places due to damage to the transportation system. Instructions have been issued to the concerned departments to take necessary measures to restore transportation quickly and to find a permanent solution,” he added.
