Assam floods cause extensive damage to tea gardens, plucking disrupted in worst-hit estates
Floods in Assam have damaged multiple tea gardens and stalled plucking in some sections. The full loss is still being assessed as silt, mud and damaged infrastructure delay recovery.
- Aug 18, 2026,
- Updated Aug 18, 2026, 3:04 PM IST
- Losses remain unquantified because many affected sections are still inaccessible
- Silt and mud have buried fields, complicating assessment of crop damage
- Labour quarters suffered major damage, and a few factories were hit
The recent floods in Assam have caused extensive damage to several tea gardens, with the full extent of losses yet to be assessed, according to Dipanjol Deka, Secretary of the Assam Branch of the Tea Association of India.
Deka said several sections of tea gardens have been covered with silt and mud, making it difficult to immediately calculate the quantity of tea that may be lost. The floods have also caused significant damage to labour quarters, while factories in one or two gardens were reportedly affected.
Among the worst-hit estates is Boundpro Tea Estate, where the impact of the floods has been particularly severe.
Deka said workers in some gardens are still unable to resume plucking as drainage systems and other infrastructure remain buried under mud. He added that clearing the affected areas could take a considerable amount of time, with some sections potentially requiring the entire tea season to return to their earlier condition.
The tea industry is continuing to assess the damage, with a clearer estimate of the losses expected once the affected sections can be inspected and cleared.
