Assam gears up against seasonal floods during COVID

GUWAHATI:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday directed all the deputy commissioners to keep ready and activate their district disaster management plans before the seasonal floods and asked them to put in place the relief camps complying with the COVID-19 protocols.

Sarma reviewed the flood management strategies during the pandemic situation with deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, principals of medical colleges and joint directors of health services during a videoconference.

“Flood during COVID times can be far more challenging, and therefore, it is important that we’re doubly prepared for the months ahead on principles of timely rescue, relief and rehabilitation,” the chief minister said.

The Chief Minister announced every district would receive Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to enable the deputy commissioners to meet unseen expenditure, not covered by flood manual, like helping distressed people during floods.

In view of the increasing number of COVID positive cases, Sarma asked all the Deputy Commissioners to put in place a community surveillance system to avert the pandemic spreading from urban to rural areas.

“Therefore, all the DCs must use their machinery to put in place a community surveillance system to avert the surge of the pandemic in the rural areas,” he said.

Sarma asked the DCs to activate the odd-hour treatment management for critical COVID care patients and undertake visits to the hospitals during the odd hours. He also asked the DCs to use spacious complexes as COVID vaccination centres.

The Chief Minister further directed the superintendents of police to impose curfew and inter-district ban on movement to aid in the containment of COVID.

(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)

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