Focus on healthcare, power restoration, sanitation in flood-hit areas: Assam CM
GUWAHATI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (August 2, 2026) began a tour of the State’s worst flood-hit districts to assess the damage
GUWAHATI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (August 2, 2026) began a tour of the State’s worst flood-hit districts to assess the damage and oversee relief and rehabilitation operations. Beginning his tour with eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district, he said the government machinery was focusing on medical and animal healthcare, drinking water supply, power restoration, and sanitation to help the affected areas return to normality at the earliest. Sharing data on his social media handles, he said the recurring floods affected 11.45 lakh people across 25 districts, claiming 82 human and countless animal lives between April 29 and August 1. According to the data, 63 of the 82 people who have died so far were from Sivasagar and Charaideo districts.
“As Assam moves from relief to recovery, our work on the ground continues,” the Chief Minister said, adding that a comprehensive State-wide flood damage assessment would begin on August 9. Meanwhile, the Assam government announced a waiver of the July electricity bill for people in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts, who consume up to 300 units of power. The government also released ₹7.63 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for uniforms for school students (up to Class 8) in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat districts. Many in Assam have attributed the floods to excessive rainfall in parts of Nagaland, leading to the death of nine persons in a landslide in Mon town on July 19.
Konyak Union’s claim Reacting to allegations, the Konyak Union said the recent floods in parts of Assam were unrelated to Nagaland. The union is an apex body of the Konyak Naga community, which dominates Mon district. The Konyak Union debunked claims that the Assam floods were caused by the release of water from a purported hydroelectric dam in Mon district or alleged illegal coal mining activities. “Such allegations are baseless and unsupported by facts,” it said. A few days ago, Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi said syndicates formed by legislators and Ministers dug up a 21-km stretch in the foothills of Nagaland to extract coal and stones. “Water accumulated in the trenches and pits broke out to devastate three Assam districts,” he said.
Citing experts, Mr. Sarma had said rainfall of 435-490% above normal in parts of Assam and Nagaland, along with hill catchment runoff and silt movement, hit Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat hard. In Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu thanked the Centre for approving an advance release of ₹44.55 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to support relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-hit areas. The financial assistance is part of the Centre’s decision to release ₹2,117.85 crore as the Central share of the SDRF to seven flood-affected States.
The BriefWire