1. No food to eat and entire paddy crops now underwater, this is the plight of farmers in Assam.
2. Assam was first hit in mid-May when pre-monsoon rains arrived, causing floods that killed 11 people. The death toll today stands at 71 with 40 lakh affected across 27 of the 33 districts.
3. Two weeks of heavy rains that caused one of Asia’s largest rivers to overflow has displaced close to 3.3 million people.
4. While the rains flood the state every year, the most affected this year are the farmers as the water is crossing river embankments destroying the crop fields. At least 180 embankments in the state have been breached, part of close to 5,000-km-long embankment network along the Brahmputra.
5. Over 1.28 lakh hectares of cropland is under floodwaters in Assam. The farmers are now facing a difficult situation as they are under debt from the bank and other informal sources as thousands of acres of paddy fields are now submerged underwater.
6. In an interview to NDTV, a 66-year-old farmer in Barpeta’s Jaurimari village said he lost more than Rs 2 lakh and is now unable to meet the needs of his of seven. many farmers in various districts are now cutting their paddy in advance by making temporary boats to salvage the seeds.
7. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, more than 85,000 people have been affected in the areas under the Mayong revenue circle and most are farmers who are living Below Poverty Line.
8. Worried about their loans and retaining their livelihoods, the farmers are seeking government intervention for rehabilitation.
