Authorities expand relief efforts after Brahmaputra River overflows
GUWAHATI: At least 50 people have died and about 700,000 have been displaced after days of intense monsoon rainfall triggered widespread flooding across India’s northeastern state of Assam, officials said on Friday.
The overflowing Brahmaputra River inundated hundreds of villages, swept away homes and forced nearly 300,000 residents to seek shelter in government-run relief camps. Authorities said emergency teams continued rescue operations as floodwaters cut off several communities.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government was distributing food, drinking water and other essential supplies to affected families. In addition, helicopters were deployed to airdrop relief materials to areas that remained inaccessible by road.
Officials reported that nearly 900 villages were submerged, while more than 7,000 homes lost electricity as floodwaters damaged infrastructure across the state.
Rescue operations continue
Police personnel, disaster response teams and local volunteers continued evacuating stranded residents and delivering emergency assistance to flood-hit areas.
Many families have suffered extensive losses. Jatin Gogoi, a farmer from Nazira, said floodwaters destroyed his bamboo home and swept away his livestock, leaving his family dependent on relatives for shelter.
Meanwhile, flooding also disrupted life in Guwahati, Assam’s largest city, where submerged roads left commuters stranded for hours. Residents reported severe traffic disruptions as water accumulated across several neighbourhoods, forcing some people to remain overnight at their workplaces because travelling became impossible.
Climate concerns grow
Experts say climate change is contributing to increasingly intense and unpredictable monsoon patterns across South Asia. While the region traditionally experiences monsoon seasons from June to September and again from October to December, rainfall has become more erratic in recent years.
Scientists note that shorter periods of exceptionally heavy rainfall followed by prolonged dry spells are increasing the risk of devastating floods and landslides.
Authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert and follow evacuation advisories as weather forecasts indicate that additional rainfall could affect parts of Assam in the coming days, potentially complicating rescue and relief operations.
