Assam Floods Leave Families Homeless As Death Toll Reaches 68, Over 6 lakh affected

Devastating floods in Assam have swept away homes, livestock and years of savings, forcing families to spend nights in temporary shelters as they struggle for food, drinking water and medicines. In Sivasagar’s Khat Pathar area, residents said the floodwaters rose so rapidly that they had barely any time to save their belongings before entire houses were submerged.

The scale of destruction has been severe across the state. At least 68 people have died in the past four weeks, including 58 in the past week, while around 40 people remain missing, according to government data cited in reports. More than 6 lakh people have been affected, with tens of thousands displaced and taking shelter in relief camps.

Families lose homes and livelihoods in Sivasagar

In Namtial Darikapar in the Khat Pathar area, families watched as floodwaters engulfed homes and possessions they had built up over decades.

Residents tried moving their belongings to higher ground, but the rapidly rising water left little time to escape. Several people remained stranded in chest-deep water for nearly eight hours before a local resident reached them by boat.

Many displaced families are now staying in temporary shelters along the national highway as their houses remain submerged.

Food, clean drinking water, clothes and medicines are among the most urgent requirements. Families with elderly or unwell members have been particularly affected by shortages of essential medicines.

‘We could not save a single belonging’

Residents described how quickly the water entered their homes, leaving them unable to rescue livestock or household possessions.

One resident said the entire house was submerged within around an hour to an hour and a half.

“We could not save a single belonging. We had five cows and 12 goats, and 10 of them died. We also had 18 dogs, all of which were swept away by the flood,” the resident said.

Another resident said floodwaters had submerged the entire house and bedding, with waist-deep water inside making it difficult to sleep properly for nearly a week.

In another incident, an elderly man was forced to spend an entire night on top of his granary after floodwaters surrounded his home. A villager eventually reached him by boat the following day.

Assam sees widespread destruction after extreme rainfall

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on July 27 that the latest disaster was unlike Assam’s conventional monsoon floods, with exceptionally intense rainfall inundating even areas normally considered safe from flooding.

According to Sarma, rainfall in several parts of the state was more than 400% above normal, causing widespread damage within a short period.

Upper Assam has been among the worst-hit regions, with districts including Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat facing severe flooding. On July 21 alone, 21 people reportedly died within 24 hours, with victims swept away or drowned in floodwaters, while others died in landslides and house collapses.

As floodwaters recede in some areas, thousands of affected families now face the difficult task of rebuilding homes and livelihoods after losing possessions, livestock and savings to one of Assam’s most destructive floods in recent years.