Assam’s worst flood in years needs new relief methods

As it happens every year, there’s a flood that’s uprooting the lives of the people in Assam. But the July 2026 floods are unprecedented. The state’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister ​​Pijush Hazarika called this the worst instance of floods in six decades because it has hit areas such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat that have no prior experience of such inundation. 

The death toll is rising and more than 6,00,000 people have been affected, causing large-scale displacement. 

Monuj Dutta, founder of Surujmukhi, a grassroots nonprofit in Assam that works in affected districts like Charaideo and Dibrugarh, says, “Since people in these areas have never experienced floods of this scale, they were caught completely unawares. In flood-prone areas, people have houses on stilts, they have their own boats, and an entire life built around the recurring calamity. But these aren’t those places.”

The speed at which water reached these areas was also concerning. Monuj says, “In Sivasagar district’s Bihubor area, people had just 30 minutes to an hour to react. They lost documents, books, and even roofs.”

In many areas, houses were submerged for days. Mud houses have been completely destroyed. Agricultural communities face long-term damage to their land. Monuj says, “We have project-based funding from CSR foundations for livelihood activities. But the needs of the communities are different now. Children have lost their books and stationery; we would like to give them student kits. We want to invest in the mental health of people who are experiencing panic and anxiety. For this, we will need money from other sources.” 

Preetisha Singha, team anchor for fundraising, communications, and partnerships at SeSTA (a livelihoods nonprofit in Assam), says, “The funders we have spoken to insist on focusing on long-term rehabilitation because short-term relief while necessary won’t  entirely address the impact of the floods. Households have lost earning members; they will need much more than relief packages in the long run.”

She adds, “Such calamities also take a toll on relief workers who have to navigate waterlogged roads. It is difficult to tell the difference between streams and roads now. Houses that are close to the main roads are finding it easier to get relief packages. It takes half a day to reach the remote areas. If frontline and relief workers need to travel back to collect more packages or equipment and return, the delay is even longer.”

As water recedes, the relief packages need to account for the changing needs of people.

Abhijit Kunwar,* a development practitioner, says, “People need phenyl and bleaching powder for cleaning and mosquito nets because of the mosquito outbreak that follows. However, many relief drives are focused disproportionately on distributing rice and pulses.” 

*Name changed to maintain confidentiality. 

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Know more: Learn how Assam’s floods impact communities in unexpected ways.

Do more: Connect with the organisations running donation campaigns for relief work.