Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Assam of the Centre’s support amid the worsening flood situation, informing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the state to assess the damage caused by the devastating floods.
The development comes as the flood-related death toll has risen to 41, with more than 6.5 lakh people officially affected across the state.
Sharing the update on X on July 23, Sarma said Shah had spoken to him regarding the “unprecedented flood situation in Assam” and informed him that a central team would assess the extent of the damage and help determine the assistance required from the Centre for relief and rehabilitation.
Expressing gratitude, the chief minister thanked the Union home minister for extending support to the people of Assam during the crisis.
“The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst upstream, have wreaked havoc on the lives of our people,” Sarma said, while acknowledging Shah’s continued support.
In a separate post, Sarma described the disaster as “unimaginable”, stating that more than nine lakh people across over 1,800 villages in 25 districts have been affected. He said 41 people have lost their lives, while thousands of livestock have also perished in the floods.
According to the chief minister, a combination of upstream cloudbursts and localised rainfall, recorded at 436 per cent above normal, caused severe flooding in several villages that had not experienced such devastation in recent history.
Sarma said rescue and evacuation operations are continuing round the clock with the involvement of the Indian Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state agencies, using helicopters and boats to reach stranded residents.
He added that more than 148 relief camps have been established, providing shelter to nearly 30,000 displaced people. Relief teams have also distributed food, drinking water and other essential supplies, with over three lakh kilograms of rice and other relief materials already dispatched to the worst-affected districts.
The chief minister said the Assam government is working with the Centre and various departments to prepare a comprehensive long-term rehabilitation package for affected families. He added that, once the immediate crisis subsides, the state will initiate discussions with neighbouring states to strengthen coordination and reduce the impact of upstream cloudbursts and similar disasters in the future.
