GUWAHATI — Flash floods triggered by 72 hours of extraordinary rainfall and overflow from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have inundated large parts of Assam, displacing an estimated 9.3 lakh people across 12 districts and prompting the government to deploy 40 NDRF teams alongside 15,000 state disaster response personnel.
Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Barpeta, Darrang, and Cachar districts are the worst affected, with entire villages submerged under four to seven feet of water. The National Highways 37 and 27 have been cut in multiple places, severely hampering relief logistics.
Relief Operations Underway
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who undertook an aerial survey of the affected regions on Thursday, said the government had pre-positioned 1.8 lakh food packets, drinking water, and medical supplies at 340 relief camps across the state. The Indian Army and Air Force have been requisitioned for search and rescue in inaccessible areas.
The State Disaster Management Authority reports that at least 38 people have died, while over 2.1 lakh hectares of cropland — primarily paddy, jute, and vegetables — has been destroyed, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farming families.