Assam Floods: 31 Dead, 100 Missing, 8 Lakh Affected in Catastrophic Deluge

GUWAHATI: At least 31 people have died and over 100 reported missing in the last 24 hours, authorities said early on Wednesday, as Assam’s flood situation turned catastrophic with eight lakh people affected across 16 districts, raising the overall toll this monsoon season to over 50. Three Assam districts bordering Nagaland — Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat — bore the brunt of the floods after a cloudburst in the neighbouring state on Sunday coupled with incessant rain caused rivers to overflow and inundate vast stretches of these three districts. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 20 people, including four women and two children, drowned in Sivasagar district alone in last 24 hours. Charaideo reported five deaths, including two children, while two people died in Golaghat and one woman lost her life in Jorhat. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who toured the worst-hit districts described the disaster as “unprecedented”. “A cloudburst triggered exceptionally heavy rainfall in the upstream states of Arunachal Pradesh & Nagaland, with precipitation of 141% and 181% above normal, respectively. The resulting unprecedented discharge of floodwaters into Assam has inundated districts that have witnessed little to no flooding in recent history,” Sarma wrote on X. “The scale of devastation caused by the Assam floods has been unprecedented. Large areas are still under water, and we are reaching out to all those affected to help them tide over this crisis,” he added. He said the full extent of the damage was yet to be assessed as several inundated areas remained inaccessible. “So far we have received reports of about 100 people missing in Sivasagar district,” he said. Sivasagar has emerged as the worst-affected district, with nearly 3.6 lakh people impacted, followed by Jorhat with around 88,000 affected and Charaideo with over 72,500 people reeling under floodwaters. Overall, the deluge has affected 5,64,600 people across Biswanath, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts. Visiting relief camps and inundated villages, Sarma announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased. “There has been extensive damage caused by the floods. I have assured the affected families that they are not alone in this crisis. Our government is standing with them in every step of rehabilitation and rebuilding of livelihoods,” he told reporters in Sivasagar. Responding to complaints from marooned residents over delays in relief distribution, the chief minister acknowledged that many villages remained completely cut off. “There is no road or any mode of communication to reach out to those people who are still in their homes. The administration accepts that. We have not been able to reach many places. As and when floodwaters recede, we will be able to reach such localities. We also cannot airdrop relief items now. We are trying our best to reduce the people’s difficulties,” Sarma said. He added that there was no shortage of relief materials in government relief camps. “Several localities in Sivasagar remain beyond the reach of even boats. In the meantime we are deploying drones to deliver essential supplies and ensure no one goes hungry or thirsty,” Sarma wrote on X The chief minister also visited a relief camp in Charaideo, where he assured inmates that patients with serious illnesses and immobile persons would be shifted to hospitals. “Medical teams and all essential services are in place. I assured every family that we will stand by them through relief, rehabilitation and recovery,” he said, adding that the government would also help flood-hit families obtain replacement copies of documents lost in the deluge. The situation has deteriorated sharply since Monday night, when around 3.63 lakh people across 15 districts had been affected. Officials attributed the rapid escalation to continuous rainfall coupled with overflowing rivers. According to ASDMA, 273 relief camps and relief distribution centres are currently operational in 10 districts, sheltering 12,284 displaced people. Rescue operations continued on a war footing with the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, Assam Police and civil administration rescuing more than 6,000 people from Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts. The floods have submerged 872 villages and damaged 24,210.35 hectares of agricultural land. Embankments, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure have also suffered extensive damage across several districts. Hydrological conditions remained critical, with the Brahmaputra flowing above the danger level at Neamatighat. Its tributaries Buridihing at Khowang and Dhansiri at Golaghat and Numaligarh were also above danger level. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for Assam, with thunderstorms forecast accompanied by heavy rainfall at isolated places over the next four days. While the upper air cyclonic circulation over central Assam and adjoining Nagaland has weakened, the weather office warned that localized heavy rain could aggravate the flood situation in vulnerable areas.