Assam Floods: 6.43 lakh hit, Amit Shah assures central team as Himanta warns death toll may rise

Assam's flood situation remained grim on July 23 with over 6.43 lakh people affected across 10 districts, even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the state to assess the damage and determine the Centre's assistance.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said 6,43,350 people in 35 revenue circles and 889 villages across Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Sivasagar remain affected by the floods. At least 41 people have died so far, while the Chief Minister said 70 to 80 more people are still missing, indicating that the death toll could increase.

"I received a call from Hon'ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji. In view of the unprecedented flood situation in Assam, he informed me that an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the state to assess the extent of the damage and help determine the Central assistance required for rebuilding livelihoods," Sarma posted on X.

Thanking the Union Home Minister for extending support, Sarma said the devastating floods were triggered by a cloudburst in neighbouring Nagaland.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to a relief camp at Komarbondha in Golaghat district, the Chief Minister said Shah informed him that officials from various Union ministries would arrive in Assam "today or tomorrow" to assess the damage.

Sarma also expressed concern over the possibility of the death toll rising further.

"So far, 41 people have died, but according to our assessment, there are still 70 to 80 people missing. I estimate that the casualty figure will rise further," he said.

The Chief Minister said flood-affected families were facing multiple hardships, including submerged farmlands, destruction of important documents and loss of livestock and poultry.

"The people are in a difficult situation, and the government will try to help them in all possible ways," he added.

The situation may worsen as water from NEEPCO's Doyang Hydel Power Project in Nagaland is being released following rising reservoir levels. The Assam government has alerted downstream districts and is monitoring the situation closely.

Sarma reiterated that the unprecedented flooding was caused by a cloudburst upstream in Nagaland and noted that increasing development activities in neighbouring hill states have intensified the impact of runoff into Assam.

In another post on X, the Chief Minister said cloudbursts upstream coupled with 436 per cent above-normal rainfall had inundated villages that had not witnessed such devastation in recent history.

He also announced that the state government, in coordination with the Centre, would prepare a comprehensive rehabilitation package for every affected family and initiate discussions with neighbouring states to develop a long-term mechanism for managing the impact of upstream cloudbursts.

Meanwhile, the ASDMA said 99 relief camps are currently sheltering 24,596 people, while 24,891.66 hectares of agricultural land remain submerged.

Several rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, including the Buridihing at Khowang, Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nganglamuraghat, Dhansiri at Numaligarh and Kushiyara at Sribhumi.

The Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are continuing rescue and relief operations across the affected districts.

The flood crisis also dominated proceedings in the Assam Assembly for the second consecutive day. Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi was suspended for the remainder of the day after climbing onto his desk while protesting the Speaker's rejection of his adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the flood situation. Marshals later escorted him out of the House.