Guwahati: Assam’s flood situation remained serious on Tuesday, with the death toll rising to 75 after seven more fatalities were reported from Sivasagar district. While water levels have begun receding in several areas, lakhs of people continue to face the impact of flooding, prompting the state government to announce a series of additional relief measures for affected families.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), all seven latest deaths occurred in the Nazira revenue circle of Sivasagar. Despite the increase in fatalities, the number of people affected by the floods has reduced to around 3.32 lakh across seven districts, down from 4.45 lakh the previous day, indicating a gradual improvement in the overall flood situation.
The floods continue to affect Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Kamrup Metropolitan districts. More than 620 villages remain inundated, with Charaideo emerging as the worst-hit district, followed by Sivasagar and Jorhat.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the total financial assistance for the families of flood victims has been increased to ₹9 lakh. The revised package includes the existing ₹4 lakh ex gratia along with an additional ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
To simplify the compensation process, the state has also eased documentation requirements. Families will no longer need to submit post-mortem reports, as a certificate issued by the concerned Circle Officer will now be sufficient to claim the assistance. The same compensation will also be extended to families of missing persons if the body is not recovered within one month.
In another relief initiative, nearly one lakh severely affected families in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat will receive an interim financial assistance of ₹15,000, which will be transferred directly to their bank accounts.
The government has also announced additional support for beneficiaries of the Orunodoi scheme in the four worst-affected districts. Eligible recipients will receive ₹2,500 in August instead of the regular ₹1,250.
Recognising the disruption caused to students, the state will provide financial assistance for educational materials. Higher secondary students will receive ₹1,000, undergraduate students ₹3,000, and postgraduate students ₹5,000 to purchase books and other essentials. Charges for obtaining duplicate academic mark sheets have also been waived.
Rescue and relief operations continue across the affected regions with the assistance of the Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and local volunteers. At present, 81 relief camps are sheltering over 32,000 displaced residents, while dozens of relief distribution centres remain operational.
Floodwaters continue to affect agricultural land, with more than 45,000 hectares of crops still submerged. The Dhansiri (South) River remains above the danger mark in parts of Golaghat, while extensive damage has also been reported to homes, schools, anganwadi centres and cattle shelters.
The Chief Minister said a comprehensive survey of damage to houses, agriculture, fisheries and livestock will begin from August 3, after which compensation will be released to eligible beneficiaries.
Although water levels have started receding in some areas, many villages remain submerged and thousands of displaced families continue to rely on relief camps as the state works towards restoring normalcy.
