Floods continued to wreak havoc in parts of India, with Assam remaining the worst-hit as the death toll climbed to 66 and nearly 6.55 lakh people were still affected across six districts, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Parts of Upper Assam have been heavily inundated for the past 5 to 6 consecutive days, following a short but catastrophic spell of continuous heavy rain.
Of the latest fatalities, three were reported from Sivasagar district and one from Charaideo.
Flood Situation Improves: The overall flood situation showed signs of improvement on Saturday. While more than 7.05 lakh people across nine districts were affected on Friday, the number has come down to 6,54,800.
The affected districts are Charaideo,
Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon and Sivasagar.
Sivasagar Worst-Hit: Sivasagar remains the worst-affected district, with nearly 2.9 lakh people impacted by the floods. It is followed by Charaideo, where around 1.9 lakh people have been affected, and Jorhat, with more than 1.3 lakh flood-hit residents.
Relief Operations Continue: According to the ASDMA, the administration is operating 274 relief camps and aid distribution centres across six districts. A total of 18,902 displaced people are currently being sheltered at these facilities.
Villages, Crops And Infrastructure Damaged: The ASDMA said 810 villages remain inundated, while floods have damaged 34,970.8 hectares of crop area across the state. The deluge has also caused damage to river embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Rivers Above Danger Mark: The Dikhou and Dhansiri rivers continue to flow above the danger level at Sivasagar and Numaligarh, respectively.
Meanwhile, Gujarat continued to grapple with heavy rainfall and flooding that disrupted transport, communication and business activity in several districts.
What Caused The Floods?
Torrential Rain Upstream: Exceptionally heavy rainfall on July 18 and 19 in Nagaland’s hill districts, including Mon, Wokha and Mokokchung, sent a massive volume of water downstream. Rainfall in some areas was recorded at up to 493% above normal, triggering widespread flooding.
Brahmaputra’s Backflow Effect: The Brahmaputra was already flowing at a high level due to earlier monsoon spells. As a result, the swollen river obstructed the drainage of overflowing tributaries, forcing water to flow back into the plains of Upper Assam and worsening the flood situation.
Deforestation and Siltation: Deforestation and mining activities in the hills of Nagaland have increased soil erosion, leading to large amounts of sediment being carried into rivers such as the Bhogdoi. The accumulated silt has raised riverbeds, reduced the rivers’ carrying capacity and contributed to embankment breaches.
Death Toll Climbs To 35 In Gujarat
At least 35 people have died in rain-related incidents across Gujarat over the past two days, officials said on Saturday. Of these, 29 deaths were reported from the worst-affected districts of Valsad and Navsari.
Relief Commissioner Gaurang Makwana said the fatalities were reported after floodwaters receded, bodies were recovered, and missing persons were accounted for following the end of rescue operations. Most of the deaths were caused by drowning or people being swept away in strong currents.
Rescue Operations Near Completion: More than 7,000 people have been rescued from flood-hit areas, with the largest number of rescues carried out in Navsari and Surat. Around 42,000 people were shifted to safer locations, while rescue operations are now nearing completion.
A total of 18 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 32 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, along with personnel from the Indian Army, Coast Guard and local swimmers, were deployed for rescue and relief work. Three NDRF teams each were stationed in Navsari and Ahmedabad districts.
Damage Assessment Begins: With floodwaters receding, authorities have begun surveying damage to crops, houses and public infrastructure. Cleaning drives and pesticide spraying have also started to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.
Navsari Records Highest Death Toll: Navsari Collector Manish Gurwani said 19 bodies had been recovered in the district.
He said around 14,000 people were relocated, while nearly 1,200 rescue operations were carried out by the NDRF, SDRF, local swimmers and district administration. The Indian Coast Guard also airlifted 60 shrimp farmers from Mendhar-Gandevi.
Relief Measures In Valsad: Valsad Collector Nitin Sangwan said rescue operations in the district had concluded and loss assessment surveys began on Friday.
He said cash assistance would be provided from Monday through direct bank transfers or cash payments to those without bank accounts. The aid will cover losses related to household items, wages for up to three days and livestock deaths. Nearly 20,000 people were relocated or rescued in the district, where the death toll stands at 10.
Heavy Rain Continues In Parts Of Gujarat: Patan, Vav-Tharad and Kheda were among the districts that received heavy rainfall in the 24 hours ending 6 am on Saturday. Santalpur and Radhanpur talukas in Patan recorded 381 mm and 342 mm of rainfall, respectively, while Bhabhar in Vav-Tharad received 287 mm.
Between 6 am and 4 pm on Saturday, Kaprada and Nanapondha in Valsad, Deodar and Lakhani in Vav-Tharad, and Khergam in Navsari received 71 mm, 49 mm, 50 mm and 46 mm of rainfall, respectively, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
The SEOC said rainfall was recorded in 34 districts during the 24 hours ending 6 am, with 173 talukas receiving more than 250 mm of rain.
Alerts and Fresh Evacuations: NDRF teams were moved to Vav-Tharad and Patan districts following heavy rainfall.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert on Saturday for Vav-Tharad, Banaskantha, Patan, Surendranagar, Mehsana, Kheda, Arvalli and Sabarkantha districts. Some of these districts remain under an orange alert for Sunday.
In Ahmedabad’s Dholka taluka, the NDRF evacuated 103 stranded people. The force also rescued 120 people and shifted 43 others to safety from villages in Navsari district, besides recovering the bodies of two elderly persons.
Officials said 35 residents from 10 families were evacuated from Chhansara village in Santalpur taluka of Patan district. The village school was also evacuated as a precaution.
Roads Cut Off: Several approach roads connecting villages were cut off due to flooding, and restoration work is currently underway, officials said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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