The flood situation in Assam worsened on Tuesday with 21 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, taking the overall flood-related death toll to 31, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). The floods have now affected more than 5.64 lakh people across 16 districts, while rescue and relief operations have been stepped up in the worst-hit areas.
ASDMA said the latest deaths were reported from Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat and Jorhat districts. Sivasagar recorded the highest number of fatalities with 13 deaths, followed by five in Charaideo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat. Officials said the administration is closely monitoring the situation as heavy flooding continues across several parts of Upper Assam.
The affected districts include Sivasagar, Jorhat, Charaideo, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Udalguri, Hojai, Nagaon, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Tinsukia and Karbi Anglong.
According to the ASDMA bulletin, floodwaters have submerged 872 villages spread across 44 revenue circles. More than 24,210 hectares of agricultural land remain under water, causing widespread damage to standing crops and affecting the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.
Sivasagar remains the worst-hit district, with over 3.59 lakh people affected. Jorhat has reported 87,662 affected residents, while Charaideo has recorded 72,646 people impacted by the floods. Dibrugarh has 18,615 affected people and Golaghat has reported 16,799.
To support displaced families, district administrations have opened 273 relief camps and relief distribution centres across the affected districts. More than 1.14 lakh people are currently staying in these camps, where food, drinking water, medical care and other essential services are being provided.
Rescue and relief operations are being carried out jointly by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Assam Police and district administrations. Teams have been deployed to evacuate stranded residents, distribute relief materials and assist vulnerable families in flood-hit areas.
In one of the rescue operations, an NDRF team responded to an alert from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in the Seleng Ghat area near Seleng Tea Estate under the Teok Revenue Circle in Jorhat district. The rescue team, led by Inspector K.B. Nath under the supervision of Deputy Commandant N.K. Tiwari, evacuated five people trapped by rising floodwaters.
The rescued persons included a young girl stranded on the roof of her submerged house, a man caught in strong flood currents and three women who had been marooned. The team also rescued an elderly woman suffering from severe hypothermia after remaining exposed to floodwaters for a long period. NDRF personnel provided emergency medical assistance before shifting all five survivors to a designated relief camp for further treatment and rehabilitation.