Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Floods across Assam worsened sharply through Monday, July 20, leaving over 1.70 lakh people stranded across 12 districts. Rain lashed the region. Urban flooding crippled Guwahati, forcing authorities to install pumps at sites including Anil Nagar, Rukminighan, Rajgarh Road, and Lachit Nagar. Over 580 villages remain underwater.
One person died in Sivasagar on Sunday, pushing the annual death toll to five. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority reports the crisis now spans 30 revenue circles in Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, and Udalguri. More than 10,362 hectares of cropland are submerged. Over 37,500 domestic animals and poultry face the rising tide.
The Indian Army launched Operation Jal Rahat in eastern Assam to assist civil authorities. Multiple Army and Assam Rifles teams are evacuating residents. The 12th Battalion of the NDRF has deployed 186 personnel and 24 boats to Sivasagar and Charaideo. Another 60 NDRF personnel are working in Jorhat. SDRF crews are active in four districts, including a rescue of 10 people in Charaideo.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has requested the Indian Air Force remain on standby for emergency evacuations. "As the flood situation in Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat continues to worsen, the Government of Assam has requested the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force to be on standby to support evacuation and rescue operations, if required," Sarma stated on X. He tasked cabinet ministers Ajanta Neog, Bimal Borah, Keshab Mahanta, and Susanta Borgohain to oversee relief efforts.
Rivers are surging. The Central Water Commission identified five major rivers flowing above danger marks: the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat, Burhidihing at Khowang, Dikhow at Sivasagar, Disang at Nanglamuraghat, and Dhansiri at Numaligarh. Infrastructure has crumbled. Breached embankments and damaged bridges have severed transport links, including railway tracks. Relief supplies distributed recently include 58.17 quintals of rice, 10.89 quintals of dal, 3.26 quintals of salt, and 326.88 litres of mustard oil. Fourteen camps now house 440 displaced people.
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