Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has done his bit quietly to aid those who have been affected by the flood disaster in Assam. It is being reported that the actor has come together with one of his fan clubs in the region to launch a phased relief operation under his NGO, Being Human. This will start with food distribution followed by supply of other basic necessities.
What is Salman Khan helping with?
As per the report published in India Today, a source close to the actor disclosed that the relief operation has been meticulously planned phase wise. The first phase has already kicked off through the distribution of ready-to-eat food packets and other essentials in the flooded areas.
In the next few weeks, the campaign is likely to include rations, kits, and rebuilding efforts at schools and hospitals. In addition to food, they also plan to distribute medicines, drinking water, sanitary napkins, and mosquito repellent spray among others to people hit by the floods.
While many celebrities such as Bhumi Pednekar and Adil Hussain have taken to the social media platform to spread awareness about the situation, Salman is one of the few from the Bollywood fraternity who has launched the ground level relief effort there.
Assam flood situation remains serious
There has been wide destruction due to flooding in the state of Assam with lakhs of people being affected in different districts of the state. Over 600 villages have been inundated; there has been significant damage to property and lives of citizens while the casualty count has risen to 68, as reported by Hindustan Times.
But on Tuesday, authorities claimed that there are some positive signs in the situation as the number of affected people has reduced to 4.45 lakh with the rise in the water levels in many districts. According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the total number of people affected in Sivasagar, Golaghat, Charaideo, Jorhat, Nagaon, and Kamrup Metropolitan districts is 4,45,495. Till Sunday, the number was above 5 lakh.
The ASDMA figures for Monday evening revealed that a total of 631 villages in 21 revenue circles were still flooded. The worst-hit district is Charaideo with the total number of affected people standing at 1.88 lakh, followed by Sivasagar with 1.44 lakh people affected.
Agriculture, homes and schools suffer heavy damage
The floods have had an adverse effect on agriculture and livestock in the state. As many as 37,139 hectares of cultivated lands are under water, while more than 2.56 lakh animals are affected. More than 26,000 animals are reported to have been swept away. The disaster has also caused damage to the roads in some of the affected districts like Jorhat, Sivasagar, and Charaideo.
Housing infrastructure too has been adversely affected. It was found that 171 houses have been completely washed away, while another 4,667 houses have been partially damaged. Some of the schools in Sivasagar and Jorhat districts have also been inundated, which would certainly affect the educational activities of the region. Of the rivers, the Dhansiri (South) is flowing above the danger level at Numaligarh, but there is no report yet of any river crossing the Highest Flood Level (HFL).