Assam's Sivasagar reels under severe flooding, locals report massive damage
Sivasagar, July 22
Severe flooding has submerged large parts of Assam's Sivasagar town, with residents reporting extensive damage to homes and shops, shortage of food and drinking water, and disruption of electricity following a rise in river levels.
Speaking to ANI, Pritam Borua, a local businessman, said that nearly the entire town has been affected by the floodwaters, with water entering shops and causing massive losses.
"The floodwaters have completely submerged Sivasagar. Not a single ward is left dry; only two wards are somewhat safe, but water has entered all others. If we talk about the shops, they are all ruined. Not a single shop in the town or any ward has been spared. Everyone has suffered massive losses. In most shops, water is 2 to 3 feet deep, and in some, it has reached up to 5 feet. The situation for the entire town is critical," Borua said.
Resident Deepak Kumar said people have been struggling with food shortages, particularly for children, as the water level continues to rise.
"We have been facing extreme difficulties since yesterday. There's a major problem with food, especially for small children. The water hasn't receded at all; instead, it is continuously rising. The water is flowing like a river through the streets. People's houses have been washed away or submerged, and everyone has moved to higher ground. All our belongings are ruined," he said.
Sushil Agarwal, a ration shop owner, said his shop was completely flooded, destroying the food supplies stored there.
"My ration shop is completely flooded. There's about 4 to 5 feet of water inside. All the ration supplies are submerged and destroyed. We are facing trouble even moving to and from our homes. The electricity has been cut off, and there is a severe shortage of drinking water. It's not just me; over a hundred shopkeepers in the Station Chariali area alone are severely affected," Agarwal said.
Shop owner Taj Hussain said the flooding had damaged his mobile repair business and described the situation as unprecedented.
"We spent so much time trying to move the goods to higher shelves, but we still lost a lot. I have a mobile repair shop, and many phones brought in by customers for repair have been damaged by the water. I've lived in Sivasagar for 25 to 30 years, and I've never seen a flood like this. Usually, river water comes, but this is unprecedented. The Desang river embankment breach has caused this disaster," he said.
Another local resident, Vinod Thakur, said Ward No. 11 was among the worst affected areas, with floodwaters entering houses and forcing residents to move to safer locations.
"Ward No. 11 is the worst affected. The water started rising yesterday and is still increasing today. It has entered every house, reaching waist-deep or even chest-deep levels in many places. People have taken shelter in the Milan Mandir and Shyam Mandir. I have been living here for 40 years, and even the elders who are 65 or 70 years old say they have never seen the water flowing like a river through the streets of Sivasagar before," Thakur said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm from Canada but I've visited Assam a few times. The Brahmaputra basin flooding is a recurring nightmare. I hope international NGOs and the Indian government can coordinate better to provide long-term flood mitigation measures. The human cost here is immense—food shortages and destroyed ration shops mean people can't even access basic necessities.
Why does this keep happening every monsoon? The Desang river embankment breach is a clear indicator that infrastructure maintenance is failing. We need more robust flood control systems, proper dredging of rivers, and early warning systems. The residents are suffering year after year. 2-5 feet of water in shops? That's a total loss for small business owners. 😔
Reading about the elderly residents who say they've never seen anything like this in 65-70 years is truly alarming. Climate change is making these floods more extreme. My heart goes out to people who have lost everything—especially the ration shop owners and the mobile repair shop where customer phones got damaged. That's a double tragedy.
The stories from Ward No. 11 are so painful—people taking shelter in temples because their homes are flooded chest-deep. And children going without food? That's unacceptable. The district administration should have had contingency plans in place weeks ago. We can't keep being reactive to these disasters; proactive measures are a must. 🙏
It's devastating to see such a culturally rich area like Sivasagar suffering. I hope relief operations are reaching the worst-hit areas. The lack of drinking water and electricity makes an already dire situation even worse. The authorities must prioritize
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