GUWAHATI, July 22: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Tuesday, with 21 more people losing their lives in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 31, according to the latest flood bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Among the latest fatalities, Sivasagar reported 13 deaths, followed by five in Charaideo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat.
The floods have affected more than 5.64 lakh people across 16 districts—Sivasagar, Jorhat, Charaideo, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Udalguri, Hojai, Nagaon, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Tinsukia and Karbi Anglong.
According to the ASDMA, floodwaters have submerged 872 villages across 44 revenue circles, while 24,210 hectares of agricultural land remain inundated, causing extensive damage to standing crops and affecting livelihoods.
Sivasagar remains the worst-hit district, with more than 3.59 lakh people affected, followed by Jorhat with 87,662, Charaideo with 72,646, Dibrugarh with 18,615 and Golaghat with 16,799.
To assist displaced families, district administrations have set up 273 relief camps and relief distribution centres, where more than 1.14 lakh people are currently taking shelter.
Rescue and relief operations have been intensified, with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Assam Police and district administrations jointly carrying out evacuation and relief efforts across the affected areas.
In Jorhat district, an NDRF team conducted a rescue operation in the Seleng Ghat area near Seleng Tea Estate under the Teok Revenue Circle after receiving an alert from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
Led by Inspector K.B. Nath under the supervision of Deputy Commandant N.K. Tiwari, the team rescued five people, including a young girl stranded on the roof of her submerged house, a man trapped in strong flood currents and three women marooned by rising waters.
The rescuers also evacuated an elderly woman suffering from severe hypothermia after prolonged exposure to floodwaters. She was provided emergency medical assistance before being shifted, along with the other survivors, to a designated relief camp for further treatment and rehabilitation.
Authorities said rescue agencies remain on high alert as floodwaters continue to inundate large parts of Upper Assam. The state administration is closely monitoring the evolving situation while expanding rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures in the worst-affected districts.
