The bustling Silchar town in Assam is reeling under the worst floods in its memory. The scale of devastation caused by floods was never this high in the past few decades. With over 24.92 lakh people affected by the incessant rain turning into ravaging floods, Silchar town in the Cachar district continues to remain inundated even after 10 days, uprooting thousands. 


While the government has assured that relief materials are being provided to the people impacted by the deluge, a resident of Silchar says this is not the solution to what the north-eastern state of India faces every year. He has started a petition, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take some essential steps. His appeal lists the measures. 



Silchar resident’s appeal to PM Modi 


Pinak Pani Paul, who is born and brought up in Silchar, has started a petition on change.org urging PM Modi to put an end to the crisis the people of Assam have been facing for over a month now. 


He has asked the PM to allocate a dedicated budget for the construction of dykes and dams, and has also urged the government to assign a “well-experienced, dedicated body to manage the flood situation”.


Paul has written in his petition that the death toll due to the devastating floods has crossed the mark of 100 and over 0.5 million people have been impacted in Silchar. 


Talking exclusively to ABP Live, Paul said water has receded in some parts of the town but many places still remain inundated. Power is still not restored completely and people are struggling to meet their basic needs. 


Paul said the entire city is almost submerged. Even the officers concerned and relief workers are affected and have not been able to provide optimum facilities despite putting in their best effort.


Even though the rainfall has decreased considerably, the situation has not changed much.



 


1L of drinking water costs around 500 Rs: Paul


Paul told ABP Live that the residents are facing a huge crisis of essential commodities and some people are taking advantage of the situation.


He said drinking water is being "black-marketed" across Silchar as a 1-litre bottle of water is being sold at around Rs 400-500. He added that prices of other basic amenities have also surged. 


He said it is a breach in a dyke at Betukandi that is causing the floods.


"There is an unprecedented waterlogging in the Barak valley town due to the breach... Though efforts have been made to reconstruct the dyke, they are not enough,” he said.


Paul said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also visited Silchar and said it was a man-made disaster in Silchar. "If the embankment at Betukandi were not breached, this would not have happened.”


He added that Assam is experiencing the floods for the second time in a month and while the floods in May also devastated various parts of the town this time it has created havoc that the state had never witnessed before. 


Talking about the solutions and steps he wants the Centre and the state administration to take, he said: “the Government of Assam needs to learn from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which are also surrounded by rivers but the state governments have taken crucial steps to protect the people from the disaster.” 


Regarding connectivity to other cities, he said Silchar is connected through three highways and all of them are flooded right now hence it is not possible to travel via road and the only way to reach anywhere is by air.


Paul suggested some short-term and long-term solutions to the government to control the situation.


 


What is in Paul’s petition?


Short-term solutions



  • Since the main reason for flooding is due to the damaged dyke, the government should provide security and protection for dykes along the river bordering the town.

  • As the town gets flooded due to the rise in water levels of rivers, the Assam government should immediately block entry of river water into town on a war footing.

  • The river water should be diverted to no-man areas so there is less pressure on the town.


Long-term solutions



  • The government should appoint a strong, experienced leadership team and establish an integrated governance body to monitor the flood situation.

  • Establish a strong, dedicated recovery-management organization to help residents during difficult times.

  • Ensure a dedicated budget for the construction and protection of dykes.

  • Construct a dam that can protect the town from floods. When the monsoon rains come, the dam can be used to store the excess rainwater and also so that water can be released in a regulated manner, thus preventing floods downstream when there is heavy inflow to the dams.


Paul also said there are a lot of people ready to do the groundwork as they want Assam, especially Silchar, to be protected from the damage and devastation due to recurring floods.