Assam government says eastern region floods worst in 60 years, relief operations underway

The Assam government on Wednesday, July 22, described the ongoing floods in the eastern districts of the state as an unprecedented disaster, telling the Assembly that the affected areas had not witnessed such severe flooding in more than six decades.

Replying to a brief discussion on the flood situation in the Assam Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said the administration was caught off guard as districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat, which had rarely experienced floods of this magnitude, were inundated after a cloudburst in neighbouring Nagaland triggered a massive inflow of water.

"These areas have not witnessed such a flood in over 60 years. This is not merely a natural flood but a natural calamity of an unprecedented scale," Hazarika said.

He said continuous rainfall over the past few days further aggravated the situation. According to the minister, three to four embankments under the Water Resources Department have been breached, while several others were overtopped, with floodwaters flowing three to four metres above the embankments.

Hazarika said the government was making every effort to rescue stranded residents and provide relief to affected families. He informed the House that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is personally visiting the worst-hit areas, while guardian ministers, local MLAs and senior officials have been deployed on the ground to coordinate rescue and relief operations.

He also urged political parties not to politicise the disaster, noting that several people were still reported missing.

According to the latest official figures, the floods have claimed at least 31 lives this year and affected nearly 5.65 lakh people across 12 districts of Assam.

Earlier in the day, the Congress sought to move an adjournment motion to discuss the flood situation immediately after Question Hour. Leader of the Opposition Wazed Ali Choudhury said he had written to Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass highlighting the worsening crisis, with people forced to take shelter on trees and rooftops as villages remained submerged.

However, Speaker Dass rejected the adjournment motion, stating that the Assembly could not suspend proceedings as voting on supplementary demands was scheduled. Following a request from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, the Speaker allowed Congress legislators to briefly raise their concerns in the House.

Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Joy Prakash Das questioned the government's relief measures and reiterated the party's demand to suspend Assembly proceedings for two days in view of the flood emergency. He also proposed that an Assembly committee visit the affected areas to assess rescue and relief efforts and urged the Prime Minister and Union ministers to visit Assam to understand the extent of the devastation.

Congress MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar said the opposition stood with the government during the crisis but stressed that the Assembly should hold a detailed discussion on the flood situation given its severity.