8 killed, transport disrupted as rains continue to batter Assam

Guwahati

 Heavy rains continued to lash Assam on Sunday, causing widespread disruption across the northeastern state. So far, eight people have lost their lives due to floods and landslides, while over 78,000 residents across more than 15 districts have been affected, officials reported.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an ‘orange bulletin’ warning of a “severe flood situation” as 10 major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, are flowing above the danger level. Key locations where rivers have breached the danger mark include Dibrugarh and Nematighat (Jorhat) on the Brahmaputra, as well as Dhaleswari at Gharmura, Rukni at Dholai, Katakhal at Matijuri, Barak at Badarpur Ghat, and several others.

Transport services have been severely impacted. The Northeast Frontier Railway cancelled the Dullabcherra-Silchar passenger train due to water flowing over tracks on the Baraigram-Dullabcherra section. The Dullabcherra-Guwahati Express now starts from Baraigram instead of Dullabcherra. Additionally, large portions of National Highway-17 near Shingra Shalnibari in Kamrup district have been submerged since Saturday, further hampering road connectivity.

Heavy rainfall, combined with water flow from neighboring Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, has worsened flooding, particularly in western Assam, where three districts were on ‘red alert’ and eight more on ‘orange alert’ as per Regional Meteorological Centre data.

Multiple agencies, including NDRF, SDRF, police, and fire services, are engaged in rescue and relief operations. Many residents have been evacuated to safer locations.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the situation as “abnormal,” citing persistent heavy rain caused by extensive cloud cover over the region. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and urge people to stay alert.