The tranquility of a July morning in Gaurisagar, a town in the Indian state of Assam, was abruptly shattered for Gitali Phukon. After two days of persistent rain, the sun had finally emerged, prompting her to venture out for groceries. Yet, upon her return less than an hour later, she was confronted with a scene of utter devastation. The Mitong River, which usually flowed peacefully through the town, had breached its banks, unleashing a torrent of water that surged through the streets. "I could not believe my eyes. The water came with great force. It quickly rose to waist level,” she recounted, noting that while she had witnessed the surrounding paddy fields flood before, the scale of this inundation was unprecedented.
As dusk settled, the relentless floodwaters infiltrated most homes in Phukon’s neighborhood. The rain resumed, plunging the area into darkness. Clutching a candlestick, she watched from her veranda as her neighbors desperately sought refuge on their rooftops or the elevated highway, signaling their survival to one another. Sleep was a luxury no one could afford that night, haunted by the fear of being submerged and tormented by the foul odor emanating from the murky waters and incessant mosquito bites. The following morning brought an even grimmer reality. With most villages in Assam relying on wells, a severe water crisis quickly ensued. “People were thirsty; they were crying for water. But there was no water to drink as the groundwater was contaminated,” Phukon explained. Thankfully, she had stored some water, which she shared with her parched neighbors. For at least three days, biscuits and puffed rice served as the sole sustenance until the waters began their slow retreat.
Similar harrowing experiences were reported across the Sivasagar district of Assam, and its neighboring districts of Charaideo and Jorhat, all situated on the southern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra River. The village of Nepalikhuti, roughly 60 miles west of Gaurisagar, now lies in ruins, blanketed by thick mud and silt. Drowned vehicles, deceased livestock, and the fractured remnants of homes paint a stark picture of the catastrophe. The absence of cattle, goats, and other essential livestock, which form the backbone of the residents’ livelihoods, underscores the profound economic impact. At least 10 individuals from Nepalikhuti’s 3,000 residents have perished, with many more still missing, and villagers have reported seeing unidentified bodies floating along the Dikhou River.
Assam, nestled in India’s far northeastern corner, is notoriously one of the country’s most flood-prone regions. Approximately 40% of its land is susceptible to inundation from the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, alongside numerous smaller tributaries, leading to at least two or three major floods annually. According to official figures, the recent deluge has affected over 1 million people across 2,690 villages in 25 districts this year. As of August 11, the death toll had tragically reached 101, a number officials fear is likely to escalate further. This contrasts sharply with 36 deaths attributed to floods and landslides in 2025, and 110 fatalities in the preceding year when all 35 districts of the state were engulfed by floods.
Partha Jyoti Das, a specialist in water and climate hazards with the environmental organization Aaranyak, asserts that the current disaster was an inevitability. He attributes the severity to the escalating climate crisis, which has ushered in heavier rainfall, combined with significant alterations to the landscape that heighten flood susceptibility. "It’s a much-abused landscape, turning into a burial ground,” he lamented. He further explained that the damage would have been considerably less had it been solely floodwaters, but the rains brought with them a destructive cocktail of debris, mud, silt, and soil from the hills of Nagaland. This, he points out, is a direct consequence of years of both legal and illegal mining and quarrying for coal, sand, and boulders, coupled with extensive deforestation, encroachment, and excavation that have irrevocably reshaped the region.
By August 11, while floodwaters had receded in several villages, they left behind persistent, heavy layers of mud and silt. Low-lying areas in Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Charaideo districts remain submerged, including the expansive Jokaichuk paddy field near Gaurisagar, a vital agricultural area shaped like a jokai, a traditional bamboo fishing tool. Himadrijyoti Dutta, who works with farmers in the district through his non-profit organization Krishak Nyas and has been actively distributing relief supplies, highlighted the catastrophic impact on agriculture. “The floods have ruined 95% of the farmland across Sivasagar,” he stated, emphasizing that the floodwaters have "washed away all the hard work and financial investments of the farmers. They have all been left poorer and desperate.”
Kalyan Das, a geography professor at Guwahati’s Cotton University, warns that this latest disaster will inevitably trigger a new wave of migration. He notes that Assam is already experiencing a significant crisis of out-migration from every block, primarily driven by factors such as land degradation making farming unsustainable. A 2022 study indicated that employment-driven migration from Assam increased from 16.3% in 1991 to 24.4% by 2011, with floods and soil erosion identified as primary drivers in rural areas. "The latest floods have destroyed homes and agricultural fields. The villagers will be forced to migrate in search of livelihood opportunities,” Das predicts.
Mintu Hazarika, 30, is a testament to this reality. Eight years ago, he left Kosumari village in Sivasagar district for Bengaluru, India’s IT hub. He now earns 25,000 rupees (£195) monthly as a security guard, working double shifts in Bengaluru’s Marathahalli suburb, and sends half his earnings home. “My father is a farmer, so is my elder brother,” Hazarika explains. “They tend paddy fields, but it is not financially viable. So they also work as daily wage earners in nearby urban areas to supplement the household income.” On July 22, his father called with the devastating news that their family’s two-hectare paddy field had been destroyed by the floods. “I don’t know how my family is going to survive. My elder brother is planning to come to Bengaluru to find work. There are already so many men from Sivasagar and other parts of Assam working in Bengaluru,” he shared, highlighting the cascading human cost of these disasters.
Bitupan Raidongia, district president of Sivasagar for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam, affirmed that authorities are providing support to affected communities. He stated, “Our government is doing its best to rescue marooned people. We are also reaching out to affected families by providing them with food items, clothes and other essentials.” Sivasagar’s district commissioner, Mridul Yadav, further detailed the local administration’s coordinated efforts, including rescue operations, relief distribution, and damage assessment. He added that health camps, essential medicines, drinking water, livestock fodder, and relief kits are being provided, with several relief camps remaining operational to support affected families and facilitate the restoration of essential services.
However, the official response has garnered criticism for being insufficient and delayed. In a viral video, Assam-based singer Nilotpal Bora strongly asserted that thousands more lives would have been lost had it not been for the swift intervention of local charities and individuals. He directly challenged a comment from Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had claimed that “the situation was under control” and that the public should refrain from raising money for flood victims. Bora countered, “You people [the government] had a delayed response in reaching out to the affected people. If common people had not distributed relief, at least 3,000 people from flooded areas would have died because of hunger and thirst.”
Amidst the official response, local groups and individuals are mobilizing to provide aid. Approximately 40 bikers from the One Northeast Motorcycle Club are traversing affected areas, delivering food, clothing, sanitary items, candles, matchboxes, and other essentials. “It’s a heartbreaking sight,” said Chow Sureng Rajkonwar, the club’s founder. He described how hundreds of villagers have been rendered homeless, their dwellings either destroyed or flattened, and those remaining filled with polokh, the alluvial silt left behind by the receding waters. All their belongings were either annihilated or swept away, signifying months, if not years, of rebuilding. Many are now living in makeshift tents constructed from plastic sheets and tarpaulins on roads or higher ground near their villages.
Gitali Phukon, whose house was built on higher ground, was one of the fortunate ones; the water level in her courtyard, though exceeding 1.5 meters (5ft), did not enter her home. For nearly a week, she has been a beacon of hope, providing relief aid to flood victims after receiving distress calls from family, friends, and acquaintances. “I decided to leave my home and reach out to people who need food, clothing, and other essentials. Everyone I know has been affected by floods.” This story was originally published by The Migration Story, with Maitreyee Boruah as a contributor.
