Assam flood: Over 6.43 lakh affected; Central team will visit soon, Shah tells CM
Assam’s flood situation remained critical on Thursday (July 23, 2026) with over 6.43 lakh people affected in 10 districts, while incessant rains threatened to aggravate
Assam’s flood situation remained critical on Thursday (July 23, 2026) with over 6.43 lakh people affected in 10 districts, while incessant rains threatened to aggravate the situation as several major rivers were already in spate, according to an official report. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the situation, and said an inter-ministerial Central team will visit the State within a day or two to assess the extent of damage in the deluge that left at least 41 people dead. Sarma said that 70 to 80 more people had been missing, and the toll was likely to increase. With waters from NEEPCO’s Doyang hydel power project in Nagaland being released following increasing water levels there, the government machinery in Assam was bracing for a further rise in flood levels late on Thursday. The issue of devastation caused by the floods was raised in the Assembly for the second day, which saw Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi being suspended from the House for the day after he climbed atop his desk while protesting the Speaker’s rejection of his adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the flood situation. An Assam State Disaster Management (ASDMA) report said that 35 revenue circles and 889 villages in the 10 districts of Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Sivasagar continued to be affected.
More than 6,43,350 people were reeling under the deluge on Thursday. Over 6.53 lakh people had been affected by the floods in 11 districts on July 22. The report said that 99 relief camps were operational, sheltering 24,596 people. A crop area of 24891.66 hectares also remained submerged. Major rivers flowing above the danger level were Buridihing at Khowang (Dibrugarh), Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nganglamuraghat (Sivasagar), Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat) and Kushiyara at Sribhumi. Multiple agencies, including the Army, Air Force, NDRF and SDRF, continued to carry out rescue and relief operations, evacuating stranded people and providing essential items in the water-logged areas. Sarma visits rain-hit districts The Chief Minister, who was on a tour of the worst-hit eastern districts, said that Mr. Shah had dialled him to enquire about the situation. “I received a call from Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah 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,” Mr. Sarma said in a post on X. He expressed gratitude to Mr. Shah for standing by the people of Assam during this difficult time. “The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst upstream, have wreaked havoc on the lives of our people,” he added. Later, speaking to reporters after inspecting a relief camp at Komarbondha in Golaghat district, Mr. Sarma said Mr. Shah informed him that a Central team with officials drawn from all stakeholder ministries will come to the State “today or tomorrow”.
The BriefWire