GUWAHATI: A massive rescue operation is underway in flood-ravaged Assam, where 3.64 lakh people across 19 districts remain affected, according to a report from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter was deployed on Sunday as part of the mission to aid those stranded by rising waters.
The floods were triggered by swelling levels of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries, fueled by continuous heavy rainfall and runoff from neighbouring states. Cachar district has been the worst hit, with over 1.03 lakh residents impacted and more than 10,000 people shifted to relief camps.
Across the rest of the northeast, the situation remains dire. Landslides and flooding have left communities in Manipur and Tripura struggling, even as rainfall temporarily subsided and skies cleared on Sunday. Authorities report that conditions remain grim.
Two flood-related deaths were reported Sunday— a child in Cachar and a man in Sribhumi district— bringing the death toll due to floods and landslides in the region since Friday to 34.
Urban flooding has also affected over 21,000 people in five Assam districts. In Guwahati, knee-deep water continues to disrupt movement in low-lying areas.
All seven northeastern states recorded above-normal rainfall in the past 24 hours. Red alerts have been issued for Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts in Assam, and for Khowai and West Tripura in Tripura, warning of continued flood risks.
The Brahmaputra River breached the danger mark at Neamatighat in Jorhat district. Tributaries like the Burhidihing, Dhansiri, and Kopili, along with several rivers in the Barak Valley, were also flowing above danger levels, according to the Central Water Commission’s evening bulletin.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla, and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu to assess the ongoing crisis. “Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji called me a short while ago to enquire about the floods in Assam and has offered all possible assistance to deal with the ongoing situation,” Sarma posted on X.
Sarma also warned that heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kibitoo, Hayuliang, and Kalaktang areas could lead to a sharp increase in river levels downstream in Assam.
Meanwhile, the IAF successfully rescued 14 people—including 13 workers—from Assam’s Tinsukia district in a high-risk operation. According to a defence PRO, the Mi-17 helicopter mission, launched early Sunday morning in coordination with Assam and Arunachal Pradesh authorities, rescued the group from the flooded Bomjir River in Lower Dibang Valley, where they were stranded and cut off from the mainland.
