Severe flooding has disrupted normal life in Assam’s Dhemaji district after incessant rainfall along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border caused rivers to overflow, submerging villages, roads and agricultural
land.
The Leku River, originating in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh, breached its banks and inundated stretches of National Highway 515 at Leku, bringing traffic to a standstill. Several villages along the border were flooded, with houses, farmlands and other properties submerged as water levels continued to rise.
Flooding also turned dangerous in the Aie River, where two country boats were stranded midstream with six people, including two women, trapped onboard. Joint rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, along with police personnel and local residents, carried out a rescue operation and safely evacuated all six after several hours.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government was closely monitoring the situation and mobilising resources for relief and rehabilitation.
“Since the flood situation has unfolded in Dhemaji, I’ve been closely monitoring the situation. We are deeply saddened by the impact it has had on the lives of our people and in this difficult time, we firmly stand with them,” Sarma said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister said Water Resources Minister Susanta Borgohain and Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta had been directed to remain in Dhemaji to oversee relief efforts.
“We are leaving no stone unturned to mitigate the impact of this flood on our people,” he added.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 16,000 people across 69 villages in four revenue circles in Dhemaji have been affected.
Further, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has suspended train services between Archipathar and Simen Chapari after severe riverbank erosion damaged a railway bridge. Passenger trains on the route have been cancelled until further notice, while bus services and help desks have been arranged for stranded travellers.
