This story is from July 29, 2016

No relief in sight for 'sinking' Goalpara

Lakhipur (Goalpara) The place nine-year-old Rizwan knew as home is not the same anymore.Floodwaters have completely inundated his village Kalsabhanga in Goalpara's Lakhipur area, some 150 km from Guwahati.
No relief in sight for 'sinking' Goalpara
<p>(Representative Image)<br></p>
Lakhipur (Goalpara): The place nine-year-old Rizwan knew as home is not the same anymore. Floodwaters have completely inundated his village Kalsabhanga in Goalpara's Lakhipur area, some 150 km from Guwahati. It does not seem the situation will improve anytime soon. For Rizwan, however, the greater loss is that of his companion Bullu, a calf.
"Bullu was washed away.
I could not find him. I wanted to look for him but my father did not allow me to. Bullu was my friend. I can only pray he is alright," Rizwan said. Samsul, his father, is a farmer. He said the family owned cattle but could only save a cow and two goats.
The members of this family are among 11,303 others who are taking shelter in 24 relief camps across the district.
The rising Brahmaputra has completely engulfed Lower Assam's Goalpara, affecting nearly 1.32 lakh people in 198 villages, Goalpara district commissioner JVN Subramanyam told TOI. "The administration has pressed for all kinds of relief and rescue operations in the area," he said.
Official figures stated that some 45,522 people in Lakhipur, 54,781 in Matia and 32,500 in the Balijana area in the district have been heavily affected in the current wave of floods. The district's char areas are the worst hit. Besides human lives, over 5,869.47 hectares of cropland and over 74,000 animals were affected in the district due to the floods, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.
The DC informed that 25 boats have been operational for relief and rescue operations in the district. "At least 20 medical teams are on the job," he added. However, flood victims tell a different story. "They have provided us with lowest quality relief items. Children and women are facing the most difficulty as many of them have contracted diarrhoea and a few women are even pregnant," Niranjan Adhikary, a flood victim, said.
Sources in the Central Water Commission (CWC) said the water level in the district is constantly rising and the situation is likely to worsen in the next 48 hours.
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