Assam floods claim 66 lives as rescue teams scramble

The latest figures from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) show that the flood death toll has crept up to 66. In the last 24 hours alone, four more souls were lost – three in Sivasagar and one in Charaideo – pushing the numbers higher than we thought just a day ago.

According to the Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) report released Saturday, 65 of those deaths were linked to the general flooding, while a single fatality resulted from urban flooding. It’s a grim reminder that the water isn’t just a rural problem; city streets are drowning too.

At present, more than 6.54  lakh people are grappling with flood‑related chaos across ten districts – Golaghat, Charaideo, Kamrup, Hojai, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Kamrup (M) and Nagaon. Sivasagar bears the brunt, with roughly 2,90,777 folks affected, followed by Charaideo (1,88,404) and Jorhat (1,31,948). The scale is hard to picture until you hear about the 810 villages that are now under water.

Agriculture, the lifeline for many, has taken a serious hit. About 34,970.8  hectares of crop‑bearing land are submerged, and the livestock sector is reeling – more than 4,54,071 animals are reported affected, with 3,021 of them swept away by the currents.

The rivers aren’t helping either. The Central Water Commission’s latest bulletin flags the Dikhou River in Sivasagar and the Dhansiri (South) near Numaligarh as flowing above danger levels. Those numbers translate into an ever‑growing risk of further breaches.

On the ground, relief work is humming along. The state has opened 274 relief facilities, which include 90 camps and 184 distribution centres. Nearly 19,000 people – among them 2,157 children and 187 pregnant or nursing mothers – are currently taking shelter in these makeshift homes.

Infrastructure damage is spreading fast. So far, 143 roads have been reported damaged, especially in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Charaideo, and ten embankments have been compromised – seven of those in Sivasagar alone. The NDRF, SDRF and local authorities are busy rescuing stranded families and ferrying essential supplies.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited the relief camps in Sivasagar, describing the situation as “extremely critical.” He offered prayers for the victims, promised continued central assistance and urged everyone to stay safe while the rescue operations continue.