Assam flood situation deteriorates, 16.50 lakh people affected in 29 districts
Guwahati (PTI): The flood situation in Assam further deteriorated with over 16.50 lakh population affected in 29 districts with the major rivers flowing above the danger level across the state on Thursday, an official bulletin said.
An alert has been sounded in Kamrup (Metro) district with the Brahmaputra, Digaru and Kollong rivers flowing above the red mark with vast tracts of land inundated.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to visit flood-affected areas in Maligaon, Pandu Port and Temple Ghat areas in Guwahati Metropolitan area on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
Sarma chaired a meeting on the flood situation with all District Commissioners late on Wednesday night and directed them to be liberal in granting relief as per norms, complete all rehabilitation claims as per norms before August 15 and provide accurate information to the headquarters so that adequate relief can be ensured.
Cabinet ministers will also be camping in the flood-affected districts for the next three days from Thursday.
The death toll in this year's flood, landslide and storm has increased to 56 and three others are reported missing.
The severely affected flood districts are Barpeta, Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, East Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts.
Dhubri is the worst hit with over 2.23 lakh people suffering, followed by Darrang with nearly 1.84 lakh people and Lakhimpur with more than 1.66 lakh people reeling under flood waters. Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks at Nimatighat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Goalpara and Dhubri.
Its tributaries Subansiri at Badatighat, Burhi Dihing at Chenimari, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nanglamuraghat, Dhansiri at Numaligarh, and Kopili at Kampur and Dharamtul are flowing above the danger levels.
The Barak river is flowing above the danger mark at AP Ghat, BP Ghat, Chota Bakra and Fuletrak, while its tributaries Dhaleswari at Gharmura, Katakhal at Matizuri and Kushiyara at Karimganj town and are also flowing above the danger marks.
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Riyan Parag debuts as first Assam cricketer in national team
Guwahati, Jul 6: All-rounder Riyan Parag became the first cricketer from Assam to play for the national team at the senior level as he made his debut against Zimbabwe in a T-20 tie at Harare on Saturday.
“A son's dream takes flight, and a father's heart swells with pride! Riyan Parag, you've made Assam proud! And what makes it even more special is receiving his Cap from the person who inspired him the most - his father!,” Assam Cricket Association posted on X, congratulating the young player.
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal termed it a historic day for the state.
“Our very own @ParagRiyan makes his debut in the Indian Cricket Team as he plays his first T20I match for #TeamIndia against Zimbabwe at Harare,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
“#RiyanParag becomes the first Assamese male cricketer to play for India. Proud moment; may be reach the pinnacle of sporting glory,” the former Assam CM added.
The 22-year-old, who did not bowl in his first international match, failed to impress with the bat, being caught out for 2 runs off 3 balls in the fifth over as India chased Zimbabwe’s score of 115 runs.
Zimbabwe pulled off an upset of massive proportions when they stunned the Indian team brimming with an array of Next-Gen stars by 13 runs in the first T20I of the five-match series here on Saturday.
Riyan, who was a part of the Indian Under-19 team that won the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, was named in the Indian national squad for the Zimbabwe tour last month.
He has been representing Assam in domestic cricket since 2017 and has been a member of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League since 2018.
Another cricketer from the state, Uma Chetry, had been earlier named in the Indian women's team but is yet to make her international debut.
