The worst devastating floods of the century hit Assam and Bangladesh, Sylhet, taking lives and displacing millions.
In the Assam floods, 17 more died taking the death toll to 62, and landslides have also been reported from another half a dozen places in the city. The flood catastrophe in Assam worsened on Sunday.
According to officials, the state government has reached out to the institute to seek its expertise in surveying the flood-affected areas using drones to assess the condition in the villages where road connectivity has been disrupted due to the heavy flow of water.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati will help the Assam government in surveying the flood-affected areas by using drones developed by its startup to aid the relief and rescue work.
Landslides have also been reported from many parts including Kamakhya, Kharghuli, Hengerabari, Silpukhuri, and Chandmari Colony.
Knee-deep water and partially submerged vehicles on submerged roads were seen at many major intersections in the capital city. In some places, water levels even crossed the waist. The approach road of the Guwahati railway station was also inundated.
“The government has approached us and we will be beginning the work as soon as possible. We will be using drones to survey the affected areas. Also, this exercise is important to help the government develop an action plan to prepare better ahead of the monsoon season considering the area is prone to floods and landslides due to its geographic location,” Parmeshwar Iyer, Dean, IIT Guwahati told PTI.
“The drones will be used to conduct aerial surveys of the areas which have been severely affected and some villages where road connectivity is disrupted due to heavy water flow. The exercise will be helpful in identifying areas where people could be stranded, immediate evacuation is needed and relief material needs to be provided,” he added.
According to the latest updates by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the state was seeing floods and landslides for the last six days, leaving behind a huge trail of devastation everywhere.
In the last 24 hours, 32 districts, comprising 118 revenue circles and 4,291 villages, have reported flooding, it said.
Around 31 lakh people have been impacted, 1.56 lakh of them have taken shelter in 514 relief camps across the state and 62 lives have been lost.
Earlier in May 2022, there were torrential floods hitting Assam too.
Some of the video footage below reveals the frightening devastation and the water has seeped into homes.
Tragic condition of Assam#FloodinAssam #flood #PrayForAssam pic.twitter.com/3rucQmEvmg
— DAS 🇮🇳 (@DasIND12) June 19, 2022
Assam floods 2022: Over 7 lakh lives affected, 25 die in deluge and landslides.
Pray for Assam, Northeast (NE)#assamfloods #Assam #prayforassam #flood #India #assamrains #Rain #FloodinAssam #Guwahati #GuwahatiFloods pic.twitter.com/gZr1aCJMdX
— Sharif Ul (@Sharif_Ul_07) June 18, 2022
#Warning #Monsoon2022 r approaching #FloodinAssam devastating life nd property
Don't venture into way of #flashflood swelling water
Stay indoor #StaySafe
Find vantage point
Wait 4water 2recede#Disaster like any other thing shall pass too@NDRFHQ @12bnndrf @SSB_INDIA pic.twitter.com/Dqf8WeJmKs— Rajesh Thakur राजेश ठाकुर🇮🇳 (@RajeshThakur_) June 19, 2022
On the other side, Sylhet in Bangladesh has been hit with the worst heavy floods that it has ever seen this century. People of Sylhet from heavily flooded areas such as Sunamganj and Companiganj had to be evacuated as their homes were submerged.
There are 4 million stranded and 25 died in the Bangladesh floods yesterday, perhaps the death toll has increased as the floods are relentless.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon
Sylhet has been hit with the worst heavy floods that it has ever seen this century. People of Sylhet from heavy flooded areas such as Sunamganj and Companiganj had to be evacuated as their homes were submerged. pic.twitter.com/2WPsydRzIg
— Thaminah (@thaminah13) June 18, 2022