Assam flood toll rises to 3 as affected population surges 4X to over 37,000

The flood situation in Assam worsened on Tuesday, with the death toll rising to three and the number of affected people surging nearly fourfold to more than 37,000 in a day, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The latest death was reported from the Naduar revenue circle in Sonitpur district over the past 24 hours, the disaster management authority said in its bulletin.

Floodwaters have inundated parts of six districts — Sonitpur, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat and Sivasagar — affecting 12 revenue circles and 99 villages.

A total of 37,032 people are currently affected by the floods, a sharp rise from more than 9,600 people across six districts on Monday.

Lakhimpur remains the worst-hit district, with 35,696 people affected by the deluge.

Authorities are providing relief materials to flood-hit residents through 20 distribution centres, the ASDMA said.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 16 people from Sonitpur district during the past 24 hours as relief and rescue operations continued in affected areas.

The floods have also caused extensive damage to agricultural land and affected livestock. According to the official bulletin, 1,103.94 hectares of cropland have been submerged.

Two animals have been washed away, while another 16,139 animals, including poultry, have been affected by the floods.

Damage to roads and other infrastructure has also been reported from some of the flood-hit districts, the ASDMA said.

The sharp increase in the number of affected people is marking a significant deterioration in Assam's flood situation, with authorities continuing relief distribution and rescue operations across inundated areas.