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Caritas India extends helping hand to Assam flood victims

The social development wing of Indian bishops has reached 3,500 people in the worst-affected areas
A Caritas India official distributes relief kits to flood-affected people in India's northeastern state of Assam on June 22

A Caritas India official distributes relief kits to flood-affected people in India's northeastern state of Assam on June 22. (Photo supplied)

Published: June 24, 2022 05:57 AM GMT
Updated: June 24, 2022 06:45 AM GMT

Caritas India and its partner organizations have been carrying out relief operations in India’s northeastern state of Assam after it was devastated by floods.

The social development wing of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has been engaged in the worst-affected districts of Karbi Anlong, Hojai and Cachar, falling in the jurisdictions of the Archdiocese of Guwahati and the dioceses of Diphu and Aizawl, said Jonas Lakra, team leader for disaster management at Caritas India.

Lakra said flood relief operations were launched two weeks ago by extending food and nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene besides shelter and non-food item support in Hojai district. The distributed kits include food, water, dry rations and medicine along with an emergency shelter.

“Our response prioritizes people with disabilities, children, single women and the elderly as well as tribal and other backward communities. To date, we were able to reach more than 3,500 people,” Lakra told UCA News.

Jirsong Asong, the social service wing of Diphu Diocese, has been helping Catholic families in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills.  

“We were able to help more than 200 Catholic families. People here are mostly poor and some have lost everything. We are basically trying to provide food, but once funds come we will focus on shelter and medicine,” Father Thankachen Joseph, director of Jirsong Asong (meaning "association of friends" in the local Karbi language) told UCA News.

The flood situation in the three districts of Barak Valley — Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi — remained critical as the water levels of the Barak and Kushiara rivers continued to rise

The priest said the flood situation in Diphu Diocese was really bad. “We account for the highest number of casualties and damage to crops and livestock,” Father Joseph said, adding that so far no help from the government or non-government sources had reached affected people.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than five million people across 32 of the 36 districts were affected by the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers inundating vast areas of land after incessant rains last week.

The death toll due to the floods since mid-May had touched 101 and rescue operations were still underway, ASDMA said.

The flood situation in the three districts of Barak Valley — Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi — remained critical as the water levels of the Barak and Kushiara rivers continued to rise, officials said on June 22.

Rescue and relief operations were hampered as rains continued, affecting 4,941 villages and forcing 271,000 people to take shelter in 845 relief camps. 

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