21 dead in a day’s deluge in Assam; total flood toll 31

GUWAHATI

In one of the highest single-day flood-related fatalities recorded in recent times, 21 people lost their lives across four districts in Assam on Tuesday (July 21, 2026).

According to official estimates, 31 people have died so far in the current wave of floods, almost half of them in eastern Assam’s Sivasagar district.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in its update almost at midnight, said the situation worsened after a brief let-up by Tuesday (July 21) evening. Floodwaters hit 872 villages across 16 districts, all except five in the eastern part of the State, affecting 5.65 lakh people and a crop area of 24,210.35 hectares.

The adjoining districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat continued to be the worst affected. Of the 21 fatalities, 13 were reported from Sivasagar, five from Charaideo, two from Golaghat, and one from Jorhat district.

“Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat have accounted for 25 of the 31 people who died due to floods so far. The six others died in Dhemaji, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Sonitpur districts,” an ASDMA official.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attributed the latest burst of deluge to a cloudburst upstream. He is scheduled to visit the flood-affected areas and relief camps in Charaideo, Sivasagar, and Jorhat districts on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) to review the relief operations.

The ASDMA said two eastern Assam rivers, the Dikhow and the Disang, were flowing above the highest flood levels at certain stretches. Three other rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Dhansiri, were flowing above the danger level.

By Tuesday night, 12,284 people moved into 71 relief camps, while more than 1 lakh others were relying on 202 relief distribution centres for their basic needs.

The ASDMA data also showed that 33 roads and a bridge (in Golaghat) were damaged, and six embankments were breached, compounding the misery of the people.