UN Secretary General assures support to India to tackle Assam flood situation

Guwahati: Amid the ongoing flood situation in Assam, United Nations (UN) General Secretary António Guterres's spokesperson said that the international body stands ready to support India if required.

"Nearly 4 million people have been displaced in Assam, India, and neighboring Nepal due to heavy flooding from monsoon rains, with the death toll at 189. United Nations stands ready to support the Government of India if required," he stated.

The United Nations' statement has come at a time when Assam has been hit by one of its worst floods in recent memory. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one more person died at Sonapur near Guwahati in Kamrup Metropolitan district on Monday. With that, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslide has gone up to 111. While 85 people were killed in flood-related incidents, 26 died in landslides.

According to the ASDMA's report, over 24.3 lakh people have been affected due to flood in the Assam districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Cachar districts. Among districts, Goalpara is the worst hit with over 4.59 lakh people suffering.

The floods in Assam could not have come at a worse time as the state is already tackling the crisis posed by the novel coronavirus, which has infected over 20,000 people across Assam. Therefore, much of the energies of the Assam State Government were spent in containing the outbreak of the virus when the floods surfaced and wreaked havoc across the state.

Many reputed figures have now taken note of the struggles of Assam. From YouTube stars to Bollywood celebrities, all have been trying to bring attention to the problem of floods in Assam. Meanwhile, local bodies such as the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) have appealed the Centre to release more funds to Assam in order to resolve the recurring problem of floods.

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