Over 23,000 affected by urban floods in Assam; IMD warns of more rain

More than 23,000 people have been affected by urban flooding in Assam following heavy rainfall across several parts of the state, while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more rain over the next 24 hours, officials said on Friday, May 15.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), urban flooding has been reported in Kamrup (Metropolitan), Sribhumi and Cachar districts.

Official figures showed that four revenue circles and 12 villages have been inundated, affecting a total of 23,619 people across the three districts.

Cachar emerged as the worst-affected district with 15,617 people impacted, followed by Sribhumi, where 8,002 people have been affected by the flooding.

The disaster management authority said no casualties or missing persons were reported in the last 24 hours.

In Sribhumi district, 53 stranded people and three animals were rescued by teams of the State Disaster Relief Force during rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati has issued an orange alert for Sribhumi, Hailakandi, Cachar and Dima Hasao districts, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, gusty winds, and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places.

A yellow alert has also been issued for 20 other districts, including Dhubri, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Nalbari, both Kamrup districts, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.

Weather officials said several of these districts are likely to continue receiving heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over the next couple of days, prompting authorities to remain on alert.