ReliefWeb

Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) is constantly assessing the situation through its local member North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) in Assam, India. The current situation is summarised below:

• Assam, a state prone to flooding and erosion, has been inundated with flooding and the resulting landslides for the past five days, with 28 districts reporting flooding (Central Water Commission's bulletin).

• The recent heavy swelled many rivers. As on June 17, eight rivers are flowing above high flood level and three rivers are flowing above the danger level (Central Water Commission's bulletin). Additionally, landslides have been reported in Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Morigaon, Kamrup & Kamrup (M) in the last few days.

• 96 Revenue Circles and 2,930 villages have been impacted by flood incidents, including approximately 1.9 million people, over 100,000 of which are taking shelter in 373 relief camps

• 54 people have lost their lives due to flooding and landslides across the state since the monsoon season began on April 6, 2022

• Around 700 families in the area are affected by the flooding and lacking a supply of drinking water and dry rations.

The Humanitarian Situation:

Due to the monsoon season, river water flows above the danger line and comes up the bank as a result of the heavy rain. Overfilling with water, these rivers begin to erode on the riverbanks, destroying homes and making entire communities homeless. Wooden or tin boats and rafts of banana plants are being used to transport those fleeing for their lives, along with the few possessions they were able to save. This transportation method is inadequate as well as hazardous, and the situation of those affected by the flooding is becoming increasingly desperate.

The flood situation of the Barpeta district has become significantly worse as a result of the release of Kurishu Dam water by Bhutan Govt. The situation has become so disastrous that thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in various camps. The condition of the farmers has worsened because they have not been able to transport their crops. Drinking water sources are being submersed. Roads are inundated and disconnected everywhere. Affected communities rush to high ground, hoping for safety. In addition, the animals that have not been lost in the flooding that sustain the livelihood of families do not have feed, particularly cattle, goats, sheep, and poultry. These animals are also difficult to transport, but their loss is devastating to familial income.

Most displaced people are living in small, crowded spaces in camps or on makeshift boats, with little food and other supplies. Health and hygiene have been major concerns for children, who are also victims of malnutrition. Issues of maintaining fires in the continuous wet weather and areas for excretion, among others, are cropping up. Even finding clean drinking water has been a big issue, as most of the drinking sources are now covered by the floodwaters.

Government’s current response in flood affected areas:

So far, 11,881 people have been safely evacuated by the above forces and agencies. Relief materials were distributed to affected populations who are not taking shelter in relief camps through 232 relief distribution centres and temporarily opened sites.

The National Disaster Response Force, the Assam State Disaster Response Fund, fire & emergency services personnel, police forces, and AAPDA Mitra volunteers of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority have been aiding the district administration in efforts to safely evacuate individuals from affected areas of the region.

HAI’s immediate response plan with support from its local member (prioritizing unmet needs):

• digitized needs assessment in collaboration with the government disaster management authorities
• immediate relief kits to at least 3000 families targeting women headed households, marginal and landless farmers, and families with persons with disabilities in affected districts based on unmet needs
• drone-based damage and loss assessment of the affected areas
• early recovery plan based on assessment

In addition, the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), an organisation based in Assam and supported by Humanitarian Aid International (HAI), has received £60,000 in funding from Start Network and is responding to this crisis, taking the lead on providing humanitarian aid to displaced and affected groups. HAI is also collaborating with Monday.com to deploy tools to digitally collect data on the emerging needs on-ground to prepare real-time dashboards of needs and response for all stakeholders. An Emergency Command Centre (EOC) is being piloted in Jorhat, Assam in collaboration with government disaster management authorities to coordinate digitised data collection for the current flood need assessment.

HAI Contact Information:

www.hai-india.org | info@hai-india.org

Mr. Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh | CEO | 9953163572

Ms. Tarini Ross | 918105611488

NEADS Contact Information:

Mr. Tirtha Prasad Saikia | Joint Director | 9957852794, 9101417936

Anchalik Gram Unnayan Parishad (AGUP) Contact Information:

agupbarpeta@yahoo.in | +919435025129

Abdul Malik | General Secretary | malikagup@gmail.com | 8638199690