Army steps in as Assam floods affect more than 3.6 lakh people

The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Tuesday, with more than 3.6 lakh people affected across several districts as the Army and multiple agencies continued relief and rescue operations, officials said.

Train services remained disrupted for the second consecutive day after floodwaters submerged railway tracks in parts of Upper Assam. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelled, short-terminated and diverted several trains, while also operating special trains for stranded passengers.

Sivasagar remained the worst-hit district, where nearly 1.58 lakh people have been affected. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the Dikhow River was flowing above the “extreme flood level”.

The civilian defense department employees and volunteers of Sivasagar district were engaged in rescue operations for flood-affected people in various areas of the Nazira sub-district from 19-07-2026 to today, 20-07-2026.#Sivasagardistrict pic.twitter.com/ozuAnkR8V9

— District Commissioner, Sivasagar (@dc_sivasagar) July 20, 2026

Officials said 101 relief camps and relief distribution centres have been set up across 11 districts, where 9,606 displaced people are currently staying.

The ASDMA urged people to stay away from the river as its water level continued to rise. Several major rivers across the state remained in spate, with floodwaters inundating roads and embankments at multiple locations.

📢Update on Damages to protective measures in Jorhat

Due to sudden and exceptionally high flood discharge and resultant hydraulic stress due to cloudburst in the region, 8 damages occured to embankments in Jorhat region.

Immediate measures have been put in place to arrest the… pic.twitter.com/9euJIQUpsq

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 20, 2026

According to officials, more than 3,62,900 people have been affected in Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.

The death toll in this year’s floods stood at 10, while two people remained missing in Charaideo and Karbi Anglong districts.

Officials said Army personnel have been deployed in Upper Assam to assist the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and district authorities in rescue and relief operations.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said cabinet ministers have been stationed in the affected districts to supervise relief measures. He also said MPs and MLAs from the flood-hit areas have been asked to remain on the ground.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that train services on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections have been suspended due to severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district.

The NFR said additional special trains are being operated to help passengers affected by the disruptions.

“These special additional trains will run till Friday and is expected to provide significant relief to stranded passengers. Moreover, regular services of some other express trains between Mariani and Guwahati are also operational,” the NFR official added.