As Assam continues to be affected by floods, the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga has announced that Mizoram will send drinking water to the flood-hit state.
The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma discussed the flood situation with CM Zoramthanga over the phone and chalked out a plan to send drinking water to the affected areas of Assam.
Mizoram shares a border with southern Assam's Barak Valley, which is one of the most severely affected areas by floods. One of the major problems caused by floods is the inaccessibility of the drinking water sources.
In view of the flood situation, Zoramthanga said the government of Mizoram is willing to send drinking water barrels by trucks up to Vairengte along the inter-state border, from where those could be dispatched to affected areas as per convenience.
CM Sarma thanked Zoramthanga for offering help and added that he will talk to the Cachar deputy commissioner and ask the official to make arrangements for distributing drinking water coming from Mizoram.
On Sunday, 26 June, CM Zoramthanga also shared a tweet stating that the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) has also sent drinking water to the flood-hit state. The CYMA donated 14,000 litres of bottled drinking water which has been dispatched to flood-ravaged Silchar in Assam.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), UNICEF, and OXFAM, an international charitable organisation, have also started operating boat-mounted water treatment units to provide drinking water to the people in need within Silchar and its peripheral areas, Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said.
Silchar is one of the worst affected towns of flood-hit Assam.
In the town, which has been submerged for over a week now, efforts are on to provide relief to those areas where the administration is yet to reach by air to drop packets with food, drinking water and other essential items by Indian Air Force helicopters.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited and reviewed Silchar twice within two days on Sunday and reviewed the relief and rescue operations in the town.
"Our government stands firmly with the people of Silchar and we are unwavering in our efforts to lessen their sufferings," CM added.
Medical Services Disrupted
A cancer hospital in Assam's Barak Valley is reportedly administering chemotherapy to its patients on the road due to flooding inside the facility.
Reuters reported that the 150-bed Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre has been under water for days, and the situation has gotten so bad that the facility's management has asked for life jackets and other necessities to keep the hospital operational.
"Procedures that can be done outside, like chemotherapy and initial diagnosis, we are doing on the road where there is minimal water-logging," Dharshana R, head of the resource-mobilisation department of the hospital, told Reuters.
"If anybody requires emergency surgery we are conducting them, but we have reduced the overall numbers because of a shortage of nitrous gas required for anaesthesia," she added.
Assam Floods Death Toll
According to a report released by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Sunday, 26 June, five more people have lost their lives because of the floods. This takes the total death toll to 126.
The deaths have been reported at Barpeta, Cachar, Darrang, Karimganj and Morigaon districts of Assam.
However, officials on Monday said that Assam's flood situation is showing signs of improvement with the water level of most rivers maintaining a receding trend while over 22 lakh remain affected across the state.
(With inputs from PTI and Reuters.)
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