Assam Floodwaters Devastate Local Tea Estates

Guwahati: Rising floodwaters in Assam have crippled local tea gardens. Heavy silt and mud now blanket vast sections of the fields, stalling production. Dipanjol Deka, Secretary of the Assam Branch of the Tea Association of India, says the full scale of the destruction remains unknown. Garden owners are still tallying the losses.

Boundpro Tea Estate stands as one of the worst-hit properties in the region. Flooding shredded labour quarters and damaged factory equipment at several sites. Infrastructure is buried. Plucking stopped completely in the hardest-hit areas as workers cannot reach the plants. Deka noted, "Several sections of tea gardens have been covered with silt and mud, making it difficult to immediately calculate the quantity of tea that may be lost."

Clearing the sludge will be a long haul. Some sections might stay out of commission for the entire tea season. Industry leaders continue to monitor the wreckage, waiting for the mud to recede before they can begin full repairs.