In the current wave of floods in Assam, nearly 18 lakh people across 3,374 villages in 22 districts have been hit. The affected districts are Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Barpeta, Goalpara, Dhubri, Darrang, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Kokrajhar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Biswanath, Kamrup Metropolitan, Chirang, Nagaon, Kamrup and South Kamrup. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Assam on Saturday. Singh, accompanied by Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Minister for Development of North East Region Jitendra Singh, will take stock of the situation in the districts of Nagaon and Morigaon besides the Kaziranga national park. The Home Minister will also be visiting Bhagatgaon camp of flood-affected people in Morigaon district, an official release said. Singh will hold a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state government officers in Guwahati before returning to Delhi in the evening. Flood situation in Assam has worsened with five more deaths taking the toll to 22 in the current deluge, while nearly 18 lakh people reeled under the impact.

Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department on Friday suspended four officials for alleged negligence during the current wave of flood in Majuli island, the constituency of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. An order to this effect has been issued by the Water Resources Department Secretary, a government release said.

The four officials have been suspended pending departmental proceedings on the charge that they were absent from the site at the time of occurrence of breach on the Brahmaputra Dyke from Bessamora to Haldibari under Majuli Water Resources Department, the release said.

Besides, show cause notices have been issued to Majuli Water Resources Division Executive Engineer Buddhi Nath Shyam and Kamalabari Water Resources Sub-Division Assistant Executive Engineer Babul Chandra Deori.

The Chief Minister during his visit to Majuli on Thursday took serious note of the unauthorised absence and alleged dereliction of duties of some officials. Action on the erring officials has been taken following directive from the Chief Minister who has asked all government officials to stay at the headquarters and stand by the side of the people reeling under flood, the release said.