Assam flood: Over 6.43 lakh affected; A central team will visit soon, Shah told the CM
The flood situation in Assam remained critical on Thursday (July 23, 2026) with more than 6.43 million people affected in 10 districts, while incessant rains threatened to worsen the situation as several major rivers were already in flood, an official report said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Chief Minister Himant Biswa Sarma to inquire about the situation and said an inter-ministerial central team would visit the state in a day or two to assess the extent of damage in the flood that has claimed at least 41 lives.
Mr. Sarma said another 70 to 80 people were missing and the death toll was likely to rise.
As waters from the NEEPCO Doyang hydel power project in Nagaland were released after water levels rose there, government machinery in Assam braced for another surge in floods on Thursday.
The issue of the devastation caused by the floods was raised in the Assembly for the second day when Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi was expelled from the House for the day after he climbed onto his desk to protest the Speaker’s rejection of his adjournment motion to discuss the flood situation.
An Assam State Disaster Management (ASDMA) report said 35 revenue circles and 889 villages in 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 flood on Thursday. More than 6.53 million people were affected by floods in 11 districts on 22 July.
The report stated that 99 relief camps were in operation, sheltering 24,596 people. The crop area of 24,891.66 hectares also remained submerged.
The main rivers flowing above the danger level were Buridihing near Khowang (Dibrugarh), Dikhou near Sivasagar, Disang near Nganglamuraghat (Sivasagar), Dhansiri near Numaligarh (Golaghat) and Kushiyara near Sribhumi.
Several agencies, including the Army, Air Force, NDRF and SDRF, continued to conduct rescue and relief operations, evacuate stranded people and provide essential items in water-logged areas.
Sarma visits rain-affected areas
The chief minister, who was on a tour of the worst-affected eastern districts, said Mr Shah called him to inquire about the situation.
“I had a call from the 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 damage and help determine the central assistance needed to restore livelihoods,” Mr Sarma said in a post on X.
He expressed gratitude to Mr. Shah for standing by the people of Assam in this difficult time.
“Flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst upstream of the river, have wreaked havoc on the lives of our people,” he added.
Later, speaking to reporters after a tour of the 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 would arrive in the state “today or tomorrow”.
He said the flood-affected people were facing a number of problems, with submerged land, destroyed important documents and washed away poultry.
“People are in a difficult situation and the government will try to help them in every possible way,” Sarma said.
In another interaction with the media, Mr. Sarma expressed fear that another 70 to 80 people are missing and the death toll is likely to rise.
He said water from the NEEPCO power project in Nagaland was being released due to rising water level and precautionary measures had been taken in the downstream areas of Assam river.
He argued that the controlled release of water from the reservoir in normal times is not a major problem.
The unprecedented flooding occurred earlier this week due to water gushing from a cloudburst in the neighboring state, he added.
“We have to live with a geography where waters from Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are creating problems for us. As development happens in the hills, roads, industries, hill cutting are increasing, our problems are increasing,” he said.
In another post on X, the chief minister said, “Upstream cloudbursts, along with localized heavy rainfall, 436 per cent above normal, led to flooding in villages that have not seen such devastation in recent history.”
Mr. Sarma said that the State Government was working closely with various departments and the Center to prepare a comprehensive long-term rehabilitation package for each affected family.
“Last but not least, once the immediate crisis subsides, we will initiate a structured dialogue with neighboring states to establish a stronger coordination mechanism that can better protect our people from the effects of cloudbursts and similar calamities in the future,” he said.
Gogoi suspended
In the State Assembly, Mr. Gogoi raised the issue of floods and asked Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass for time to allow him to speak about the extent of devastation in the three eastern districts and asked for an adjournment motion to discuss the matter.
The Speaker rejected the adjournment motion and said a similar motion was tabled by Congress on Wednesday, which was also rejected.
At this the opposition MLA started shouting and begged Mr. Dass to allow him to speak for two minutes.
As Mr. Dass moved on to another matter, Mr. Gogoi stood on a chair and continued to raise slogans. When the Speaker ignored him, the MLA climbed onto his desk and continued shouting.
The Speaker immediately suspended the Raijor Dal president and asked the marshals to take him out of the House, who had to remove the MLAs.