Assam Floods Leave Thousands Displaced as Rising Waters Swamp Villages and Towns

Severe floods in Upper Assam have affected over 5.6 lakh people, claimed 27 lives and triggered large-scale rescue operations as rising rivers submerged villages, towns and critical infrastructure.

Severe flooding has wreaked havoc across several districts of Upper Assam, leaving thousands stranded, forcing large-scale evacuations and claiming at least 27 lives as relentless rainfall continues to push rivers beyond danger levels.

The flood situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past few days. According to official estimates, the number of people affected has surged from 3.6 lakh to 5.6 lakh within 24 hours, reflecting the scale of the disaster unfolding across the state.

Among those rescued was a family in Sivasagar district, where floodwaters entered homes overnight, forcing residents to spend hours on rooftops, elevated furniture and other makeshift shelters before rescue teams arrived. Many locals described the flooding as the worst they had witnessed in decades, with entire villages submerged.

Authorities have intensified rescue operations across the worst-hit districts, including Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat. More than 6,000 people have been evacuated by boats, while thousands have taken shelter in relief camps established across the affected regions.

Unlike the annual floods commonly linked to the Brahmaputra River, this year's flooding has primarily been driven by swollen tributaries such as the Dikhow, Disang and Janji, which overflowed after intense rainfall in upstream areas.

The situation has also spread to Sivasagar town, where floodwaters entered residential neighbourhoods, disrupting daily life and leaving many residents confined to their homes.

State officials have attributed the unprecedented flooding to exceptionally heavy rainfall in neighbouring Nagaland, where intense downpours caused rivers flowing into Assam to swell rapidly. The sudden surge in water levels overwhelmed embankments and inundated large areas that are not usually prone to severe flooding.

While the rainfall in Nagaland has been described as extremely heavy, meteorological experts clarified that it did not technically qualify as a cloudburst under official weather definitions. However, saturated hillsides and continuous rainfall over several weeks significantly worsened runoff into Assam's river systems.

The disaster has also sparked political debate, with opposition leaders questioning the state's preparedness for the crisis. The government has maintained that the scale and intensity of the flooding were unprecedented and difficult to anticipate.

Rescue and relief efforts are being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Army, Fire and Emergency Services, along with local authorities. Helicopters and drones are also being deployed to deliver essential supplies to areas that remain inaccessible by road or boat.

Officials say floodwaters continue to spread into new locations as they move towards the Brahmaputra, keeping emergency agencies on high alert. Authorities are continuing relief operations while assessing the long-term environmental and climatic factors that may have contributed to one of the most severe flood events witnessed in Upper Assam in recent years.