Assam Floods Kill 47, Leave 40 Missing as Over 7.21 Lakh Reel Under Water

The flood situation in Assam remained critical on Friday, with incessant rains pushing several rivers above danger levels and affecting more than 7.21 lakh people across 11 districts. The death toll in this year's floods has risen to 47, while around 40 people remain missing, raising fears that the toll could increase further.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the situation had improved slightly but acknowledged that authorities were yet to reach nearly 20 per cent of those affected. He said the government was making efforts to reach them and would continue to support flood victims.

Sarma is scheduled to chair a video conference with district commissioners and senior officials from the affected districts to review relief and rescue operations. He also said a Central government team will visit Assam on July 25 to assess the damage caused by the floods.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said the Dikhow river at Sivasagar town was flowing above the severe flood condition on Friday morning. The Buridihing at Khowang, Disang at Nanglamuraghat, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Dhansiri at Numaligarh and Kushiyara at Sribhumi were also flowing above danger levels.

The latest fatalities included four deaths in Sivasagar and two in Charaideo, including children among the victims. Sivasagar remains the worst-hit district, with nearly 3.8 lakh people affected, followed by Charaideo with almost 1.9 lakh and Jorhat with more than 1.2 lakh. The flood situation has worsened sharply since Wednesday, when around 6.53 lakh people were affected. Currently, 883 villages are inundated, while 25,375.44 hectares of crop area have been damaged.

Authorities are operating 358 relief camps and distribution centres across nine districts, providing assistance to 24,124 displaced people. Joint rescue teams involving the Army, NDRF, SDRF, police and other agencies have rescued around 5,000 people from Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar.

Floodwaters have also damaged embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, while around 3.71 lakh domestic animals and poultry have been affected across the state.