Number of flood victims and affected areas
At least 21 people, including women and children, died in Assam on Tuesday due to floods, taking the total death toll to 31, while over 5.62 lakh people in 16 districts remained affected as rescue and relief operations were intensified with support from central agencies and state governments.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 13 deaths were reported in Sivasagar district, followed by five in Charadeo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat.
As of Tuesday evening, floods have affected 5,64,660 people, including 91,807 children and 2,41,952 women, in 872 villages in 16 districts. The affected areas are Golaghat, Kamrup, Hojai, Dibrugarh, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Nagaon, Charadeo, Kamrup (metro), Jorhat, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar.
Sivasagar district remained the worst affected district, recording 13 deaths in 24 hours and affecting 3.59 lakh people. It is followed by Jorhat with 87,662 affected people, Charadio with 72,646 people, and Dibrugarh with 18,615 people.
The Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Assam Rifles and fire and emergency services have been deployed across the affected areas for massive rescue and relief operations.
Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed all ministers, MLAs, MLAs and officials of concerned departments to remain alert and personally visit the flood-affected areas. The ministers, including Ajanta Neog, Bimal Bora and Bijosh Hazarika, visited the affected areas on Tuesday, with the Prime Minister praising their efforts.
The Indian Army, along with other central and state agencies, is continuing rescue operations in flood-affected areas, ASDMA said.
“The Indian Army continues its humanitarian aid and relief operations in the flood-affected Sivasagar district. With the coordination of ASDMA, and in collaboration with the district administration and other response agencies, efforts remain focused on reaching the affected communities,” the authority posted on X.
“We are grateful to our Army, Air Force, NDRF and all other security personnel who left no stone unturned to bring people to safety,” Sarma wrote, expressing his gratitude to the rescue agencies.
The army said that as part of Operation Jal Rahat, it rescued more than 570 stranded civilians on Monday and Tuesday.
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister asked the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to assist state agencies in rescue operations.
The Army said that, at the request of the civil administration, it has deployed four specialized flood relief columns of the Red Shield Division under the Spear Corps in the flood-affected areas of Sivasagar, Charedo and Jorhat.
Army teams are working in Nazira, Amguri in Sivasagar district, Sonari in Charadeo district and several affected areas in Jorhat. Equipped with rescue boats, medical teams, engineering equipment and relief supplies, these teams evacuated stranded families, provided emergency medical assistance and distributed relief materials.
State government officials said Indian Air Force helicopters are also being used for rescue and relief operations, while drone surveillance operations are being carried out to assess the flood situation and identify areas needing immediate assistance. Army engineers were also deployed to restore the damaged connection.
The operations are being conducted in coordination with district administrations, NDRF, SDRF and other civilian agencies, the Army said, adding that additional resources have been kept on standby as the flood situation continues to evolve.
The Indian Air Force intensified relief efforts on Tuesday. Sarma said that Israeli Air Force helicopters carried out three sorties and airdropped 627 kg of relief materials for the besieged families in Nazira.
“This morning, the IAF carried out three sorties, airdropping 627 kg of relief supplies to stranded families in Nazira. Our teams remain on the ground, reaching every flood-affected family with essential relief,” Sarma posted on X.
The NDRF said it also conducted rescue operations at Seleng Tea Estate in Teok, Jorhat, rescuing five people trapped in rising floodwaters.
According to the NDRF, its teams were dispatched after receiving information from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Jorhat, and found several residents stranded as the water level continued to rise.
The force also rescued a man who was swept away by the strong current while trying to stay afloat by clinging to the stem of a banana. Three elderly women who were stranded by floodwaters were also rescued.
The Prime Minister’s Office said that 90,000 bottles of water, along with large quantities of food and other essential supplies, were delivered to flood-affected areas in Sivasagar district.
Sarma said: “All required assistance is now being provided to those affected by the ongoing floods. Sufficient amounts of water and food are being provided in the affected areas to help them overcome the crisis.”
He also announced that he would visit the flood-affected areas and relief camps of Charadeo, Nazira, Sivasagar, Sonari, Jorhat and Teok on Wednesday to review the rescue and relief operations.
Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi and several other legislators were also seen visiting the flood affected areas and interacting with the affected families.
Several roads remain submerged, while railway services in the Simaluguri area have been disrupted, forcing rescue teams to rely on boats to reach the affected villages. According to the North Eastern Frontier Railway (NFR), more than 30 trains have been canceled or rescheduled after tracks were damaged at several locations, including Mariani.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast more rain in parts of upper Assam, prompting the state government to step up rescue and relief operations with support from central and state agencies.
Several parts of Assam have witnessed heavy rainfall over the past three-four days. Between July 18 and 20, Sonari in Charadeo district recorded 197.5 mm of rainfall. Kokormara-Mirza in Kamrup got 165.5 mm, followed by Bokakhat in Golaghat with 130.5 mm, Guwahati with 124.5 mm and Mariani in Jorhat with 122 mm.
According to the Central Water Commission, the Brahmaputra, Burhdihenge, Dikau, Desang and Dhansiri rivers are flowing above the danger level, while the Barak, Kopili and Kushiara rivers are also showing an upward trend.
In Charadio district, four members of a family who were swept away by strong floodwaters on Monday evening remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon.
The family, from Lakwa Abhayapuri village under Tingapukhuri police station, was arrested after Rohini Duwara’s house was suddenly submerged in floodwaters.
According to local residents, Rohini’s wife Tutumoni Duara and daughter Bidisha Duara were swept away while the family was moving to a safer place. Their sons, Bidyut Duara and Biplab Duara, jumped into the floodwaters in an attempt to rescue them, but were also swept away.
The family members claimed that they immediately called the district administration’s flood helpline, but claimed that the rescue team arrived too late.
Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that the floods were caused by thunderclouds upstream. “The recent #Assamfloods, caused by cloudbursts upstream, have brought immense hardship to our people,” he wrote on X.
