Guwahati: Waters receded in Nazira, but the ruin remains. Thick layers of mud cover Bihobar, Santak, Prajabasti, and Nepalikhuti villages. Families returned home to find their lives reduced to rubble. Walls collapsed. Belongings lie buried under silt. The disaster struck on July 19, leaving residents near the Nagaland border to sift through the debris.
Mrigakshi Buragohain survived the surge because her neighbor, Bishal Giri, pulled her to safety. She credits him with saving her life. The water rose in minutes. Her family spent the night on the rooftop while watching others get swept away. Five or six goats died in the surge. She said, "I am mentally shattered. I don't know what day it is or what is happening around me."
India Today NE visited the region on July 25. They found residents mourning destroyed furniture and lost savings. Buragohain now struggles to cook a simple pot of dal in a kitchen coated in muck. Her almirah is packed with silt. Her stove is useless. She faces an uncertain future with three small children. The question echoes across the villages: "Where will we live now?"
Photo Courtesy: India Today Group

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