Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Devastating floods in Assam have claimed 31 lives, with 21 fatalities recorded in a single 24-hour period. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) confirms that over 5.64 lakh people across 16 districts are currently reeling from the deluge. The disaster has submerged 872 villages and inundated 24,210 hectares of agricultural land.
Sivasagar remains the hardest hit, reporting 13 of the newest deaths and 3.59 lakh impacted residents. Charaideo reported five deaths, Golaghat two, and Jorhat one. The state has mobilized the Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, and Assam Police to conduct widespread rescue operations. Teams have already evacuated more than 6,000 people from the worst-affected zones.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma toured Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat to review the crisis. During his visit, he addressed the scale of the emergency. "This is an unprecedented situation. A large number of people have taken shelter in relief camps, while many others remain stranded by the floodwaters. There have been several deaths, and more bodies are still being recovered," Sarma said.
Infrastructure damage is extensive. Embankments on the Bhogdoi River have breached at five locations in Jorhat. In total, 401 houses are destroyed, and 1,848 are partially damaged. The government has established 273 relief camps and distribution centers, currently sheltering over 12,284 people. Authorities distributed thousands of quintals of rice, dal, and salt to those displaced.
The government announced a 4 lakh rupee ex-gratia payment for the families of the deceased. Ministers Sushanta Borgohain, Bimal Borah, Keshab Mahanta, and Ajanta Neog are overseeing regional operations. Meanwhile, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal committed 1 crore rupees in relief, with 50 lakh allocated immediately.
Opposition leader Akhil Gogoi has pressured the central government to designate the recurring crisis a national disaster. The IMD maintains a yellow alert for the region as water levels in the Brahmaputra, Dikhow, and Disang rivers continue to threaten further inundation. Efforts to reach cut-off villages remain ongoing as officials coordinate with the government of Nagaland to investigate reports of an upstream cloudburst.
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