'It took everything from us': India's Assam faces worst floods in years

"It took everything from us": India's Assam experiences its most severe floods in years.

An aerial perspective reveals vast areas of Jorhat submerged by floodwaters.

On July 19, Shalini Patra, 18, was observing the rain from her home in Jorhat district, Assam, in northeast India, unaware that her life was about to drastically change. That afternoon, she was startled by the sound of rushing water and shouts. "Within minutes, knee-deep water had entered our house," she recounted.

Patra quickly helped her elderly parents and younger brother reach higher ground before attempting to salvage some belongings. However, by the time she fought her way back through the water, their house had been swept away. "We had a television, a cupboard and a sofa. Nothing was left. We couldn't even save a glass to drink water from," she told BBC Hindi from a relief camp. "The floods took everything from us."

She explained that floods annually affect her village, Seleng Sumoni Pathar, situated on the banks of the Jhanji River, a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra, one of the world's largest rivers. But this year, the situation was different.

Flooding is a regular occurrence in Assam; India's National Flood Commission classifies nearly 40% of the state as flood-prone. Assam lies on the extensive floodplain of the Brahmaputra, which descends from the Himalayas and is fed by over 50 tributaries. During the annual monsoon, heavy rainfall across the region increases the river's volume. As the Brahmaputra flows across Assam's flat plains, it deposits significant amounts of sand and silt, reducing its water-carrying capacity and increasing the likelihood of flooding.

Experts attribute the worsening floods over time to upstream deforestation, aging embankments, and more intense rainfall driven by climate change. This year's devastating floods, which minister Pijush Hazarika described as the state's worst in six decades, were triggered by exceptionally heavy rain across parts of neighboring Nagaland and Assam from mid-July.

In the past four weeks, at least 68 people have died, with 58 of those deaths occurring in the last week alone. Approximately 40 individuals remain missing. Government data indicates that over 600,000 people have been affected, with tens of thousands displaced and residing in relief camps.

More than 600,000 people have been impacted by the floods in Assam.

On July 21 alone, 21 people died within 24 hours, mostly swept away or drowned in floodwaters. Others perished in landslides and house collapses. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that districts in Nagaland and Assam received rainfall between approximately 435% and 490% above normal during that period, causing rivers to rise at an unprecedented rate.

Upper Assam, where tributaries from the surrounding hills feed the Brahmaputra, bore the brunt of the flooding. Districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat were among the hardest hit. As villages became isolated, rescue teams struggled to reach stranded families. Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kotta announced that officials had been deployed to the worst-affected districts to accelerate relief and restoration efforts, prioritizing the supply of relief materials and the restoration of essential services.

A mother and her seven-year-old son spent 12 hours in a mango tree after floodwaters engulfed their village. Rekhamoni Gogoi, from Holang Katoni village in Sivasagar, informed local media that the water rose to chest level within an hour on July 19 after heavy rain flooded Upper Assam. She initially sought refuge at a neighbor's house but fled again as the water continued to rise.

Around 25,000 people are staying in relief camps, while many others have moved in with relatives or friends.

Around 8:00 PM local time, they climbed a large mango tree in the courtyard. Gogoi recounted that other women helped her climb first while carrying her son before joining them on the branches. "There was darkness all around us. There seemed to be no hope of survival, but I refused to lose courage," she said. The pair spent the night in the tree without food or water. Gogoi mentioned that her son tried to comfort her, suggesting they could survive by eating the leaves. "My son's life is more precious to me than my own, so I was determined to protect him at any cost," she told reporters. They were rescued the following morning and are now staying in a relief camp, awaiting the recession of the floodwaters.

Chief Minister Sarma stated that the government's focus is now shifting towards rehabilitation, with ministers deployed across the state to coordinate recovery efforts. However, for Patra, whose parents are daily wage workers, the future remains uncertain. "My parents spent years building that house," she said. "I don't know what we will do now. It will take us years to build another one."