Northeast reels under severe floods; death toll hits 36, over 5.5 lakh affected

Several northeastern states remain in the grip of severe floods and landslides triggered by continuous heavy rainfall, with the overall death toll rising to 36 and over 5.5 lakh people affected as of Monday.

With 11 deaths, Assam is the worst-hit state. Arunachal Pradesh recorded 10 fatalities, Meghalaya six, Mizoram five, Sikkim three, and Tripura one in the current spell of flooding across the region.

Union minister and BJP president JP Nadda on Monday urged all party state units and karyakartas to “provide all possible assistance in accordance with the issued guidelines.”

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Modi government over its handling of the situation. He said he hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the floodgates of the PM CARES Fund, “where he claimed crores lie without any audit.”

Assam

More than 5.35 lakh people have been affected across 22 districts in Assam as the flood situation worsens, with the death toll rising to 11, according to an official bulletin. Fifteen rivers are currently flowing above the danger mark.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Lakhimpur district, one of the worst-hit areas, and assured residents of full support and relief measures. Transportation has taken a hit, with road, rail, and ferry services disrupted due to persistent heavy rainfall in several regions.

On Monday evening, Sarma met with Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma in Guwahati to discuss key inter-state concerns. Their talks focused on three major issues: the Assam-Meghalaya border dispute, a joint power and irrigation project proposal, and strategies to tackle urban flooding in Guwahati. Since last year, Sarma has attributed Guwahati’s worsening waterlogging issues to hill cutting activities in Meghalaya, particularly in the upstream Ri-Bhoi district.

Conrad Sangma said that both governments have agreed to assign to the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) the task of conducting a satellite-based study to better understand the hydrological and environmental factors behind urban flooding.

Both leaders confirmed that Assam and Meghalaya will work on a collaborative plan to reduce waterlogging in Guwahati while ensuring that Meghalaya’s interests and economic activities are not adversely affected. NESAC will conduct satellite mapping of Guwahati and surrounding areas, examining forest cover, water flow, and waterlogging patterns. The data is expected to be submitted within three months.

Sikkim

Three army personnel were killed and nine others went missing after a landslide struck a military camp in Chhaten, near Lachen town in Sikkim’s Mangan district on Sunday evening. A defence official said the landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall in the region.

The deceased have been identified as Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and Porter Abhishek Lakhada, an official said on Monday. He added that rescue teams are working relentlessly under difficult conditions to locate the six missing soldiers.

Meanwhile, Sikkim DGP Akshay Sachdeva said that 1,678 tourists stranded in Lachung and Chungthang towns were successfully evacuated, while over 100 people remain stuck in Lachen.

Continuous rainfall since May 29 has caused widespread landslides across the Mangan district, partially damaging bridges in Phidang and Sangkalang and disrupting road access for several days. Rainfall exceeding 130 mm has led to severe damage along routes to key tourist destinations such as Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar, Valley of Flowers, and Zero Point.

The Teesta River swelled by 35-40 feet following a cloudburst and persistent rain, cutting off regional connectivity and inflicting major damage on vital roads and bridges.

In response, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under Project Swastik, launched rescue and restoration efforts in the Gangtok-Chungthang and Chungthang-Lachen/Lachung corridors.

Amid the worsening conditions, the state tourism and civil aviation department issued an advisory urging tourists to travel to Sikkim only after checking the latest road and weather conditions.

Chief secretary R Telang chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the disaster situation in Mangan.

According to the Information and Public Relations Department, the meeting focused on resolving road blockages, ensuring the evacuation of stranded tourists, and expediting the restoration of essential services like electricity, roadways, and telecommunications.

Manipur

Officials said on Monday that over 19,000 people in Manipur have been impacted by floods after several rivers overflowed and embankments were breached due to continuous heavy rainfall over the past four days.

Torrential rains damaged at least 3,365 houses and affected 103 localities, displacing 19,811 residents. To provide shelter and support, 31 relief camps—mostly located in Imphal East district—have been set up for those evacuated from inundated areas.

Amid severe waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall, the Manipur Fire Service, Assam Rifles, SDRF, NDRF, and the Indian Army carried out joint evacuation operations to rescue stranded medical students and staff from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.

Heavy rains over the past few days triggered a major breach in the Imphal River’s embankment at four locations, leading to extensive flooding in Imphal East.

Arunachal Pradesh

The death toll from floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh has risen to 10, with another fatality reported from Lohit district, even as the state remains battered by heavy monsoon rains, officials said.

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that 938 people in 156 villages across 23 districts have been affected by the ongoing deluge.

Governor Lt General K T Parnaik (Retd) expressed grief over the loss of lives and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. He also urged residents to remain alert, especially in areas prone to landslides and flooding.

Several districts, including West Kameng, Kamle, Lower and Upper Subansiri, Papum Pare, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Changlang, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, and Longding, have reported flood-like conditions and landslides as major rivers and their tributaries continue to flow above danger marks.

Tripura

Officials said the flood situation in Tripura has begun to improve, with rainfall subsiding on Monday and river levels dropping significantly below the danger mark.

Despite the improvement, over 10,000 people are still staying in government-run relief camps. Sarat Das, Disaster Management in-charge, told PTI, “Water is receding across Tripura and the flood situation is improving, with rivers flowing much below the danger level. But the inmates, who took refuge in government relief camps, continue to stay there.”

Das added that the state administration has set up 66 relief camps in the affected districts, currently sheltering 2,926 families, or 10,813 individuals. West Tripura district accounts for the majority, with 50 camps accommodating 2,352 families.

Mizoram

In Mizoram, mudslides have caused the blockage of 212 roads, according to an official bulletin cited by the Associated Press.

Heavy rainfall prompted the closure of all schools across the state on Monday, as landslides, mudslides, rockfalls, and waterlogging affected various areas. Schools had also been shut for two days earlier, on May 29 and 30.

So far, at least five people have died due to landslides, house collapses, and other rain-related incidents, including three Myanmarese refugees, since the heavy rains began on May 24.