Guwahati: Floods which are a common phenomenon in Assam has marooned a total of 28 out of 33  districts of the state and the death toll increased to 36 persons, officials informed.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA)’s daily flood bulletin, a total of 4,128 villages have been affected as on July 18th, 2019. 53,52,107 people and 62 lakh animals have been affected as the flood situation continues to remain grim.

As of July 18th, 2019, 2,25,737 people are taking shelter in 689 relief camps and 939 houses have been fully damaged while 2,857 houses have been partially damaged. As many as 391 relief distribution centres have been opened to distribute rice, dal, salt, oil, tarpaulin, cattle feed, drinking water, baby food, food kit for pregnant/ lactating mother, candles and other essential items to the affected people.

Meanwhile, in the Kaziranga National Park, the water level has receded to an approx of 105 centimetres, according to the flood bulletin. A total of 98 camps have been inundated and nine camps have been shifted and 83 wildlife deaths have been reported since July 13th, 2019 till July 18th, 2019.

The government on July 16th, 2019 released Rs 251.55 crore as assistance from the central share of SDRF for 2019-20.

Here are the top 12 developments:

1. A strayed Royal Bengal Tiger was found relaxing in a man’s bed in flood-hit Kaziranga. Later, he was given a safe passage towards the park on July 18th, 2019. Forest officials said that the tiger had strayed from the Kaziranga National Park which is submerged under floodwaters.
2. Trinamool Congress MP from West Bengal Nusrat Jahan, Bollywood actors Dia Mirza,      Adil Hussain and film director Shekhar Kapur urged their fans to come out and support the flood-affected victims in the state.
3. On July 18th, 2019, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax in Guwahati, Padmapani Bora donated ten days of his salary to the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He took to his Twitter handle and wrote that it breaks his heart to see the devastating effect of flood in his home state.
4. Indian cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma extended their full support to the state. They took to their individual Twitter handles and urged their fans to support the flood-affected victims in the state as well as in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.
5. The Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, Vivekanand Singh on July 18th, 2019 donated his one-month salary to aid flood relief efforts in Assam. He deposited an amount of Rs 81,032 to the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Singh also appealed to all the individuals to come forward with assistance.

6. Another staffer of the Goalpara District Administration office, Prabir Debnath decided to donate his monthly salary for the flood relief and this was informed by Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Varnali Deka on Facebook on July 18th, 2019.

7. A 10-year-old boy identified as Haridhan Das slipped and drowned in the swollen Jiyang Beel located in Kamrup (Metropolitan)’s Sonapur town.

8. In the wake of massive trolls that were circulating on social media against international star icon Priyanka Chopra for her ‘late’ tweet over Assam floods, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that the actress is no longer the State Tourism Brand Ambassador as her contract has expired.

9. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will visit the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) on July 19th, 2019, to take stock of the flood situation.

10. Two school-going girls were found to have drowned in the swollen Brahmaputra in Dhubri’s Bilasipara area on July 19th, 2019.

11. An undertrial rape accused identified as Hajifur Rahman swam to freedom in the wee hours of July 17th, 2019, just a day after he along with 408 Dhubri jail inmates were shifted to the Dhubri Girls’ College. Hajifur broke open the grill of a window in the college and swam into the floodwaters and escaped.

12. An Army helicopter on flood rescue operation made an emergency landing in Nalbari on July 18th, 2019 with three persons on board after it developed a snag.