The scene after the flood in Assam is horrifying: 68 dead, 5.24 lakh people homeless; The victims cried after seeing 5 feet of accumulated mud.

Assam, the main state of North-East India, is currently facing the worst flood tragedy of the century. Continuous torrential rains and raging rivers have completely ruined the lives of millions of families. The official death toll due to this natural disaster in the state has increased to 68, while more than 5.24 lakh people are still homeless and forced to spend their days in relief camps or by stretching tarpaulins at high places. Although the water is now receding slowly in many areas, everyone is getting emotional seeing the painful picture of devastation that this flood has left behind. Maximum devastation in Sivasagar, Charaideo and Nazira: The flood has hit Sivasagar, Charaideo and Nazira areas the heaviest. Thousands of houses here have been completely damaged and in many villages 4 to 5 feet of silt and mud has accumulated inside people’s homes. The year’s worth of ration, clothes, valuables and furniture kept in the houses have all rotted in water and soil. Due to the smell and rot, it has become difficult to live or even breathe inside the houses. Boats became the only support, delivering relief material was a big challenge. Roads and bridges in the affected areas have been completely destroyed, due to which dozens of villages have been cut off from the rest of the world. In such areas, workers of voluntary organizations like NDRF, SDRF, Army, local administration, RSS and Seva Bharti are working day and night in delivering drinking water, dry ration and essential medicines through boats. Yet victims say that relief material is still proving inadequate in the face of this massive scale of devastation. The deep pain of seeing their hard-earned money turning into dust is clearly visible in the eyes of the flood victims, who are crying over their ruined homes and worried about their future. Many elders say that they have never seen such a catastrophic flood in Assam in their life. After losing the roof over their heads, now the biggest crisis facing the people is clean drinking water, food and dealing with the water-borne diseases (epidemics) that may spread in the coming days. Relief and rescue work intensified, restoration of normal life will take a long time. Administration and various relief agencies are continuously engaged in rescue work and hundreds of relief camps are being run across the state. However, it may take several months to provide safe shelter to the affected families, remove the dirt spread at the ground level and return them to normal life.