Assam flood: Over 50,000 people of 7 districts affected, death toll rises to 14

Guwahati, June 25: Following incessant rains, the flood situation in Assam has turned worse in many districts of the state and this year flood claimed 14 lives so far.

Over 50,000 people of seven districts of the state have been affected in the second wave of flood.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the second wave of flood-hit seven districts Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia of the state and over 50,000 people affected till Thursday morning.

Nearly 180 villages of the seven districts have been affected in the current flood.

Four people were drowned in floodwaters in the last 72 hours and the death toll has gone up to 14.

The floodwaters have submerged over 5300 hectares cropland in the flood-hit districts.

On the other hand, incessant rain has created flood-like situation in Dibrugarh town and many parts of the Upper Assam town are now underwater.

An RCC bridge near Rupai tea estate connecting Baghjan and Doomdooma in Tinsukia district was washed away by the raging floodwaters of Dangori river.

Following unabated rains, the water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries is flowing above danger level in many parts of the state.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority flood report said that the Brahmaputra river is flowing above danger level mark at Neamatighat in Jorhat district, Tezpur in Sonitpur district and Dhubri district while Disang river flowing above the danger level at Nanglamuraghat in Sivasagar district, Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur district.

In Guwahati, the water level of the Brahmaputra river is gradually increasing and it has created panic among the people living in the low lying areas.

The water level of the Brahmaputra river is rising by 1 cm per hour in Guwahati.

Central Water Commission (CWC) employee Jitumoni Das said that, since last night, the water level is rising more and just 46 cm has left to touch the danger level mark in Guwahati

“The water level is rising by 1 cm per hour and it will increase more if the rain will continue,” Jitumoni Das said.

On the hand, floodwaters have entered some parts of Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary also.

Assam Congress staged a protest against the sharp hike in petrol-diesel prices

Guwahati, June 24: Assam Congress party on Wednesday staged a protest in Guwahati against the sharp hike in petrol and diesel prices.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) led by former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Ripun Bora had staged a protest against the price hike in petrol and diesel and shouted slogans against the BJP-led both centre and state government.

Hundreds of Congress party leaders, workers took part in the protest rally held in front of Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati.

On Wednesday, the price of petrol was at Rs 84.24 per litre in Guwahati while diesel was retailing at Rs 78.82.

Hitting out at the Modi-government, former Assam Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi said that, today the whole country is passing through a most difficult period and the common men facing hardships due to the wrong policies taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.

“By imposing a tax on petrol and diesel it has caused lots of hardship to the common people. Crore of crore people of India have lost their jobs, losing their livelihood. Hardship of the common men has been on the rise. Instead of giving relief to the common people, the government has increased the prices of petrol and diesel while the crude oil prices in the world market on the lowest side today,” Tarun Gogoi said.

Gogoi called Modi-government as a bankrupt government.

“The Modi-government has increased the excise duties on petrol and diesel. The government is bankrupt. We want the government should provide relief to the common men, poor people,” Gogoi said.

IIT Guwahati Researchers develop point-of-care device for early and easy detection of diabetic retinopathy

Guwahati, June 24: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) in collaboration with Shri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Guwahati, have developed a point-of-care testing device that can detect diabetic retinopathy at an early stage, without need for invasive testing.

The research team is led by Dr Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Head of Center for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati. Descriptions and results of their testing device have been recently published in the ACS journal, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

The paper has been authored by Prof. Bandyopadhyay and his students, Surjendu Maity, Subhradip Ghosh, Tamanna Bhuyan, at IIT Guwahati.

The other author and collaborator Dr Dipankar Das, a Senior Consultant and practising Ophthalmologist, is the Head of the Department of Ocular Pathology and Uvea in Shri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati.

The team has also filed an Indian patent for this idea and device. The research is funded by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious non-communicable disease in India, with a conservative estimate that 11-20 million Indians will suffer from this malady by 2025.

It is caused by abnormal growth in the retinal blood vessels in people with diabetes, and it is usually worsened when the patient is on insulin for diabetic treatment.

“Currently, the first step in the test for diabetic retinopathy is an invasive eye exam, in which the eyes are dilated and the ophthalmologist inspects the eye,” Dr Bandyopadhyay said.

As people who have had eye examination know, this is inconvenient, with blurry vision for a long time after examination. Advanced detection methods such as optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, detection of exudates in the retina, and image analysis are complicated and require skilled operators and can show the malady only after it has progressed enough to be detected.

The IIT Guwahati team wondered if there was a simple test such as a blood or urine test, that can detect retinopathy even before symptoms are seen in the eye.

This induced the researchers to look for appropriate biomarkers of retinopathy – chemicals that are found in body fluids, that can indicate impending or ongoing retinopathy.

The researchers found that β-2-microglobulin (B2M), a protein found in tears and urine, is a reliable indicator for retinopathy. Armed with this knowledge, they set out to develop a device that can detect this protein in these body fluids.

The team developed a device in which the sensing element was an antibody to B2M that was immobilised on gold particles a hundred thousand times smaller than the width of the human hair. When the nanogold-laden antibody came in contact with B2M, there was a colour change.

“We designed a microfluidic system, in which, the body fluid – tear or urine – was drawn into very thin tubes or capillaries, where they came in contact with the gold-antibody nanoparticles, and the change in colour was assessed to detect B2M,” the lead researcher said.

Their prototype microfluidic analyser produced good results with reliable and sensitive detection of B2M, offering promise for the design of hand-held, easy to operate detectors for diabetic retinopathy, much like the popular glucometers for diabetes itself.

Microfluidic devices, also known as microchips and lab-on-a-chip, have been eliciting considerable interest in recent years in the design of such detection devices. The device typically comprises a small plate containing microchannels for guidance of fluids, in this case, a micro drop of urine or tear.

Numerous microfluidic devices have already been developed for the biomarker detection in cancer and other diseases, but there are hitherto, none for detection of diabetic retinopathy.

The IIT Guwahati team’s work is among the first in this area and has tremendous practical implications, especially in India, the diabetic capital of the world.

Assam Pollution Control Board (PCBA) withdraws closure notice on OIL operations

Guwahati, June 23: In a relief to the Oil India Limited(OIL), the Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) has withdrawn its earlier closure notice on conditions which served to OIL on oil exploration.

Earlier on June 19, the Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) came heavily on Oil India Limited following the fire incident at Baghjan oil field in Assam’s Tinsukia district and served a closure notice to the Oil India Limited on major oil exploration.

The Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) had directed OIL to shut down all productions as well as the drilling operations at the site.

Following the PCBA notice, OIL moved the court seeking a stay on the closure notice.

In a letter issued by the PCBA on June 22 stated that – “M/S Oil India Ltd shall have to submit a detailed time-bound Environmental Management Plan within 15 (fifteen) days from the date of issue of this letter for environmental mitigation and extinguishing of fire at the Baghjan Oil Field and act accordingly. They have to apply for Consent to Operate (CTO) under Section 25 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) At 1974 and Section 21 of the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981 separately for every drilling, production and other installations along with environmental management plan and requisite documents within 1 (One) month. They have to submit all the details of Hazardous Waste generated, disposed & treatment facilities as per the Hazardous & Other waste (Management & Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.”

“They have to apply for Authorization under E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and take necessary action for proper disposal of E-waste and they have to submit the return as per Batteries (Management & Handling) Rules, 2001 framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 within 31^st July, 2020,” said in the PCBA letter.

On the other hand, the Oil India Limited on Tuesday issued a press release and stated that the closure notice served by Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) has been withdrawn.

“PCBA has asked OIL to fulfil certain conditions within specific timeframes. OIL will take necessary steps to comply with the directives/conditions of PCBA,” OIL said in the press release.

On the other hand, OIL said in the press release that, environmental Impact Assessment by M/s ERM: Air monitoring/ Noise monitoring/ Ecological survey continues to be conducted by M/s ERM.

“TERI Study on Air quality & Noise level: Data of air quality and noise level are being constantly recorded and monitored at the Analyzers installed by TERI. TERI study on Bioremediation of Sludge: Initial cleaning job as a part of bio remedial process is being continued in the affected areas. TERI is arranging Drone fly camera for aerial photography and videography of affected areas and survey will be carried out depending on weather condition. CSI-NEIST/NGRI Seismological study: Recording for geophysical monitoring of tremors is in progress from all stations. Analysis of data will be carried out in Jorhat and Hyderabad. Many important equipment/ materials are on transit. Consignments are delayed on transit due to ban on day time movement of heavy vehicles. Fabrication of Heat Shield: Fabrication of Heat Shields for Bulldozer and Excavator is in progress. There is a delay in developing the land due to inclement weather and soft soil condition. To mitigate the delay and make access to vehicles and placement equipment at the site. Portable deck mats for the purpose are on transit from Kolkata and Guwahati. Connections for sourcing water from Dangori River are underway,” OIL stated in the release.

The release also stated that two emergency Escape Routes from Debris Area and one from Kill pump area have been constructed and Alert team is inspecting the equipment at OlL CMT Yard with ONGC-CMT and OIL Technical team.

Oil India Limited further said that, OIL has facing a production loss of 8291 MT Crude oil and 10.56 MMSCM of natural gas due to bandh, stoppage blockades since May 27.

Two firefighters were killed and four others injured in the gas well fire incident at Baghjan oil field and over 10,000 people living in the nearby villages were forced to take shelter in relief camps.

After rising COVID-19 cases Assam government announces total lockdown in the areas of 11 wards in Guwahati

Guwahati, June 23: Given the rise in COVID-19 positive cases the Assam government on Tuesday announced total lockdown in the areas of 11 wards in the capital city of Assam until further order.

The total lockdown order will effect from 9 pm on June 23.

In an order issued by Chief Secretary of Assam government, Kumar Sanjay Krishna stated that – “It has been reported to me by District Magistrate, Kamrup Metropolitan that there is large scale spread of COVID 19 affected cases among the general public of certain areas of Guwahati City which has posed as a major threat to public health, hygiene and safety of the general population; I, therefore, in my capacity as the Chairman of the State Executive Committee of Assam State Disaster Management Authority, in the exercise of the powers, conferred under Section 22(2)(h) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, do hereby issue directives to Commissioner of Police, City and District Magistrate, Kamrup Metropolitan District to enforce total lockdown in the areas. This order shall come into force with effect from 9 PM (2100 hrs) of 23 June,2020 and shall remain in force until further orders.”

Earlier, Assam Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a press conference that, 144 positive cases for COVID-19 without any travel history have been detected in Guwahati in last two days and it is a very alarming trend.

“The state Health Department has suggested for imposing lockdown again inward wise in Guwahati where more COVID-19 positive cases were detected. The Kamrup (Metro) district administration will decide it,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam minister further said that the state government has also decided to convert the quarantine centres set up in Guwahati to COVID-19 care centres where the asymptomatic patients will be treated.

“We have also decided to set up 33 sample collection centres in each ward in Guwahati city to test more people for the novel Coronavirus,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

After Sarusajai stadium, the Assam government has constructed six more quarantine centres at Khanapara area with a capacity of 900 people.

Assam has so far reported 5853 positive cases for COVID-19 and out of these 3565 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals.