Inaccessible 25% flood affected areas: Assam CM
GUWAHATI
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday (July 24, 2026) said 25% of the flood-hit areas of Sivasagar and Charaideo districts remained inaccessible even after almost a week of unprecedented flooding that has killed 61 people so far.
Apart from Jorhat, most of those killed since mid-June are from these two districts bordering Nagaland.
The chief minister said the situation in these and adjoining districts remains grim, with nearly 11,000 people affected in more than 2,000 villages of the state and more than 41,000 flood-displaced people sheltering in relief camps.
However, a late night update by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said 7.05 million people were affected in 856 villages in 12 districts. “A total of 14 people have died in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 61,” said an ASDMA spokesperson.
The chief minister said his ministers were on the ground overseeing relief efforts.
“Assam has weathered floods before and we will do so again with the support of the Center and the people. We will do our best to stand by those who have lost their loved ones and their property and support them to rebuild their lives,” he said, adding that his ministers were on the ground overseeing the relief efforts.
The chief minister said the situation in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts remains “deplorable and dangerous”.
“On July 18 and 19, Nagaland’s Mon, Mokokchung and Wokha districts along with Charaideo received excessive rainfall with a departure range of 435-490%. As a result, a large area of Charaideo and Sivasagar was submerged,” he told reporters after visiting the flood-hit areas on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The administration and the state government have not been able to hit 25% of the (flood-hit) areas in Sivasagar and Charaideu. They have never had this much rainfall before,” he said.
Drone delivery failed
The Chief Minister took note of public dissatisfaction with drone delivery of food to stranded people.
“We used drones to reach inaccessible areas, but people did not appreciate it because the food packets got damaged after they were dropped. The affected people believe that the conventional way of transporting relief materials is beneficial,” he said.
SDRF personnel rescue people from waterlogged Rukmini Gaon area after heavy rains in Guwahati on July 24, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI
He said the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and National Disaster Response Force are assisting the state government in rescue and relief operations. He also said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed him that the Center had sent a team to Assam on July 25 to assess the damage.
Lightning strikes
In the 126-member assembly, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta said floods, storms and lightning have killed 1,525 people in Assam from 2014 to July 16, 2026.
Responding to a question from Asom Gana Parishad MLA Diptimoyee Choudhury, he said that the state government has a policy of providing ₹ 4 lakh to the next of kin of every person who dies due to natural calamities.
To another question from Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Mr. Mahanta said that lightning strikes have killed the most people in Assam after floods since 2016. Citing official figures, he said floods claimed 836 lives in a decade, followed by lightning strikes (372), storms (175) and landslides (93).
Responding to another question by All India United Democratic Front MLA Mohammed Badruddin Ajmala, he said that the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have completely eroded 364 villages and partially eroded 797 villages till date. The total eroded land was approximately 696,450 hectares.
“There is no provision to issue erosion certificates to families whose land has been eroded. The government is rehabilitating erosion-affected families on the river bank in accordance with prevailing policies and guidelines, subject to availability of suitable government land and fulfillment of prescribed eligibility criteria,” he said.
However, Mr Mahanta said the 2019 land policy allows for the allocation of government land to indigenous cultivators who have been dispossessed due to erosion and other natural disasters.
Published – 24 July 2026 22:00 IST