Assam Floods Remain Grim: Death Toll Climbs to 61, Over 7 Lakh Affected
A total of 856 villages under 37 revenue circles are inundated, and floodwaters have damaged over 56,606 hectares of cropland.
Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical on Saturday even as water levels showed signs of receding in some areas. The death toll from the deluge rose to 61 after 14 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), seven including two women deaths were reported from Charaideo district, six including one woman from Sivasagar and one from Jorhat. The deceased included 11 males and three females, with one person are still missing in Sivasagar.
More than 7.05 lakh people have been affected across nine to 12 districts, including Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Jorhat, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar, and others such as Biswanath, Sonitpur, and Kamrup (Metro). Sivasagar remains the worst-hit with around 3.48 lakh people affected, followed by Charaideo (nearly 1.88 lakh) and Jorhat (over 1.26 lakh).
A total of 856 villages under 37 revenue circles are inundated, and floodwaters have damaged over 56,606 hectares of cropland. Livestock losses are also significant, with thousands of animals and poultry washed away in recent days.
The state administration has set up 363 relief camps and distribution centres, sheltering over 1.15 lakh displaced people, while relief materials are being provided to additional affected populations. However, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged that relief has not yet reached around 80,000 people in inaccessible areas, particularly in parts of Nazira (around 50,000) and Sivasagar (around 30,000).
He also said that he was personally monitoring the relief operation and announced that he would be visiting the flood-hit areas in a day or two.
The chief minister said, "We are trying very hard to reach all the people with relief items, but still many are left out.” He asserted that ministers are on the ground and a central team is visiting to assess the damage. The state government has released over Rs 111 crore for essentials, with distributions of rice, dal, oil, and other items ongoing.
The Indian Army and Air Force are also assisting in rescue and relief operations.
The authorities said that several rivers, including the Dikhou at Sivasagar, Dhansiri at Nanglamuraghat and Numaligarh, and Kushiyara at Sribhumi, continue to flow above the danger level, though a marginal improvement has been noted due to reduced rainfall in the last 48 hours. Embankments, roads, and other infrastructure have been damaged in multiple districts.
