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Guwahati:
The floods in Assam this yr have been extra dangerous to farmers as water is breaching river embankments. Hundreds of acres of cultivable land in lots of districts have been flooded, severely hitting the livelihoods of cultivators.
36-year-old Manju Das wades by flood water alongside together with her household in Padupara village of decrease Assam’s Barpeta district, which is the worst-hit by floods.
She is nearly in tears when NDTV requested her have they been making ends meet. She says her household hasn’t eaten within the final two days.
“We are not getting to eat properly, even utensil have been washed away… this way, how long will be survive. Every year the floods batters our lives,” Ms Das mentioned.
“This is the third time our area has flooded, and like last year, the embankment has been breached,” Ranjit Thakuria, a farmer from Padupara says.
Over 1.28 lakh hectares of cropland is beneath flood waters in Assam.
Locals declare that the embankment at Pahumara, a Brahmaputra tributary, was constructed in 1971 and has solely been repaired, by no means rebuilt.
NDTV travelled to Bajali within the Barpeta district to search out out why the embankments are the weakest hyperlink in Assam’s flood flight.
“Two years back, the embankment snapped near my house, but they did not repair it fully, only on top they made it broad. We even now don’t have money to buy masks. Floods are a bigger threat then coronavirus for us,” Kridit Thakuria mentioned.
In the final six many years, Assam has constructed a community of about 5,000 km of embankments alongside the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. But over half of those embankments are effectively previous their lifespan.
Last yr, Assam had sanctioned virtually Rs 1,100 crores for 271 embankment restore initiatives however in line with authorities sources, majority of them missed the April deadline.
Assam Minister Phanibhushan Choudhury, who was touring the flood affected areas of Bajali, admitted that the scenario is severe.
“The situation is serious. The lifetime of most of the embankments has got over. The government is aware. We will get them repaired,” he mentioned.
The floor degree authorities officers say battling floods and COVID-19 collectively is a tricky activity.
Nearly 33 lakh folks in 28 districts are affected with the floods. 59 folks have already died and over 3,300 villages stay inundated.
At least 180 embankments within the state have breached, that are a part of shut to five,000-km-long embankment community alongside the Brahmaputra.
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