Eastern Assam floods worst in 60 years, says State Minister

People transport a motorcycle through a flood-affected area on a makeshift raft after heavy rainfall, in Golaghat, Assam, on July 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI The ongoing wave of floods in some eastern districts of Assam has been the worst in 60 years, the State government said on Wednesday (July 22, 2026). The floods have affected more than 8 lakh people and claimed at least 30 human lives in less than a month.Replying to a brief discussion on the flood situation in the 126-member Assam Assembly, State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said the disaster in Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat districts, “which rarely experience floods of this magnitude”, has been unprecedented. He said the authorities in these districts were caught off-guard after a cloudburst in neighbouring Nagaland had triggered a massive inflow of water.The cloudburst in Nagaland’s Mon district had caused multiple landslides, killing at least nine people on July 19.“These areas are witnessing such a devastating flood in more than 60 years. This is a natural calamity of an unprecedented scale,” Mr. Hazarika said.Unimaginable scaleAssam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who toured the affected districts on Wednesday, said more than 8 lakh people have been affected by the floods so far. “The areas that normally experience high floods every year are not affected much this time. We have to get to the bottom of the problem [in Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat districts]] and discuss with Nagaland how to deal with it,” he said.He also said the damage has been on an unimaginable scale. “There have been several deaths, and more bodies are being recovered,” he added.High fatalitiesIn its update at midnight on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said 21 people had died during the previous 24 hours, in one of the highest single-day flood-related fatalities recorded in recent times. According to official estimates, 31 people have died so far in the current wave of floods, almost half of them in Sivasagar district.The ASDMA said the situation had worsened after a brief let-up by Tuesday evening. Floodwaters hit 872 villages across 16 districts, all except five in the eastern part of the State, affecting 5.65 lakh people and a crop area of 24,210.35 hectares.More rains forecastThe neighbouring districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat continued to be the worst affected. Of the 21 fatalities, 13 were reported from Sivasagar, five from Charaideo, two from Golaghat, and one from Jorhat district.“Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat have accounted for 25 of the 31 people who died due to floods so far. The six others died in Dhemaji, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Sonitpur districts,” an ASDMA official said.Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department predicted moderate to heavy rainfall along with thunderstorms at isolated places in Guwahati and other districts across Assam over the next four days. It warned of “aggravated water-logging, flooding, flash floods, slow vehicular movement, and increased risk of localised landslides in vulnerable pockets” in Guwahati. Published - July 22, 2026 11:02 pm IST