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International agencies like the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations Development Programme have started assessing the flood damage in Assam as a prelude to sending aid.
The state government has also requested the Centre to depute a team of officials to visit the flood-hit areas and take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, the flood situation in the state worsened with the turbulent Brahmaputra and its tributaries continuing to rise, affecting more than 1.5 million people in 16 districts.
A five-member team of the UNDP, including two doctors, reached Dhemaji, one of the worst affected districts, to provide emergency assistance to the district authorities. The UNDP team will also assess the damage with the district administration.
According to Dhemaji District Magistrate B R Samal, the UNDP team will mainly act as a liaison between the administration and various non-governmental organisations. "They will assess the situation and fill the critical gaps," he told rediff.com on telephone.
UNICEF, meanwhile, has made arrangements to take first-hand reports from the flood-hit districts by sending out observers. Once the reports reach the UNICEF office in New Delhi, aid in kind is expected to arrive in the worst affected areas, Assam government officials said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi called an emergency meeting of top state government officials and reviewed the situation on Friday, including stocks of essential commodities as many road links have been snapped.
Food and civil supplies department officials also attended the meeting. They assured the chief minister that there are enough stocks in the state for more than a month.
An angry Gogoi, perturbed by the inaction of various departments, demanded a daily progress report and ordered the activation of state and district control rooms for round-the-clock operations. Gogoi also ordered all ministers and officials who are away from the state to return within 24 hours to handle any situation.
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