GUWAHATI, India — The flood crisis in India’s northeastern Assam state remained critical on Monday, with the death toll reaching 100 after two more people died overnight, officials said. Several rivers remain above danger levels, raising the risk of fresh flooding in vulnerable areas, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said. Days of heavy monsoon rain has caused rivers, including the Brahmaputra, to overflow that inundated communities while disrupting livelihoods and damaging infrastructure. The river, one of Asia’s largest that originates in China’s Tibet region and flows about 900 kilometres through Assam, flooded villages, swept away homes and forced nearly 300,000 people into government-run relief camps, officials said. The floods that began last month displaced more than 700,000 people and submerged vast stretches of farmland and damaged roads and other local infrastructure. Although many residents have begun returning to their homes as floodwaters recede, at least 49,000 flood-affected residents remain housed in 125 relief camps and relief distribution centres, officials said. Authorities remained engaged in relief and monitoring efforts as they assessed the extent of the damage and the needs of affected populations. The floods also devastated livestock, with large numbers of cattle lost, dealing a blow to rural communities and raising concerns about disease outbreaks. As the waters receded in some areas, many families returned to homes buried under thick layers of silt, adding to the challenges of recovery. Farukuddin Ahmed, a 47-year-old trader from Nazira town in Assam’s worst-hit Sivasagar district, said displaced families were slowly returning home, many to rebuild on ground still buried under two to three feet (up to a metre) of silt. A nearby village, Nepali Khuti, had about 100 households before the floods. “Only a few houses are left and the rest washed away by the surging flood waters,” Ahmed said. “The residents, mainly dairy farmers, have to rebuild their lives from scratch having lost all their cattle.” Aid in the form of roofing sheets and other building materials was beginning to arrive, he added. “We have directed officials to complete damage assessment as soon as possible so the government could provide financial assistance for their rehabilitation,” Assam Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Pijush Hazarika said after a review meeting. He said some 50,000 affected people were already paid interim monetary compensation. The annual monsoon season frequently triggers flooding in Assam, where swollen rivers inundate large areas and displace thousands of residents each year. Experts say human-caused climate change is intensifying South Asia’s monsoons, which traditionally run from June to September and again from October to December. The rains, once predictable, now arrive in erratic bursts that dump extreme amounts of water in short periods, followed by dry spells. Wasbir Hussain, The Associated Press
