Flood toll climbs to 47 in Assam; over 7 lakh affected

More than 7.21 lakh people have been affected by the floods of “an unimaginable scale” in Assam, which claimed six more lives on Thursday (July 23, 2026), taking the death toll to 47.

While the number of affected districts has fluctuated between 10 and 16 depending on the weather, three eastern Assam districts — Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat — without a history of high floods have borne the brunt. A majority of the 47 people who died so far are from these districts.

Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said four people died in Sivasagar district and two in Charaideo during the last 24 hours. A total of 883 villages remain submerged, while 24,124 people are taking refuge across 103 relief camps.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attributed the “unprecedented devastation” to a combination of cloudbursts upstream in adjoining Nagaland and localised heavy rainfall 436% above normal. The floodwaters have washed away thousands of livestock and villagers not wired to anticipate such devastation have been hit hard, he said.

He said various agencies, from the Indian Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force to the State machinery, were working round the clock, carrying out rescue and evacuation operations by air and boat.

“Our teams are reaching as many affected families as possible with food, drinking water, and other essential supplies. In the worst-affected districts alone, over 300,000 kg of rice and other essential relief materials have already been delivered, with more on the way,” the Chief Minister said.

He further said that the State government and the Centre would work out a comprehensive long-term rehabilitation package for every affected family.

“Once the immediate crisis subsides, we will begin a structured dialogue with neighbouring states to establish a stronger coordination mechanism that can better protect our people from the impact of upstream cloudbursts and similar calamities in the future,” he said.

According to the ASDMA, rivers Buridihing, Dikhou, Disang, and Dhansiri were in spate.

“We have been advising people not to go too close to the overflowing rivers. People in flood-affected or flood-prone areas should take care and desist from going out to see what floods are like,” Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta said.

He said a few people drown or are washed away during floods because they become too curious to be where the action is.

“I have interacted with many victims during my tour of the flood-affected areas. They told me some people never returned after venturing out to satiate their curiosity about floods,” Mr Mahanta, who represents the Asom Gana Parishad from Kaliabor Assembly constituency, told journalists.

Meanwhile, train services remained suspended in a section of the Northeast Frontier Railway’s (NFR) Tinsukia Division, as the floodwaters inundated railway tracks and adjoining areas.

“Due to incessant heavy rainfall in the upstream catchment areas, the Dikhow River has been overflowing, leading to severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district under Tinsukia Division,” NFR’s chief spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said.

He added that efforts were underway for the restoration of normal train services.