Severe flooding, waterlogging, damage to property and life across India amid heavy rainfall

Rivers in spate, submerged low-lying areas, landslides, and transport blockades have thrown normal life out of gear, putting disaster response teams on high alert.

Assam is enduring one of the most acute flood emergencies of the season as the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries continue to flow well above danger thresholds.

Dozens of fatalities have been reported across the state due to drowning and rain-triggered incidents, with over 5.6 lakh people affected.

Nearly 900 villages remain inundated across badly hit districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, and Jorhat.

Over 24,000 hectares of cropland are completely underwater, causing severe economic strain on farming communities and damaging local residential structures. Large-scale evacuation and relief operations by the SDRF and NDRF remain active.

In Assam, at least 10 people have died within the last 24 hours due to relentless rainfall, including four children, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

Meanwhile, a total of 41 people have died so far due to the heavy downpour, ASDMA noted.

"Three people died due to floods each in Sivasagar and Jorhat districts, Two in Charaideo district and one each in Dhemaji and Karbi Anglong district. So far, 41 people have lost their lives in the state due to floods," ASDMA said in its flood report.

Six other individuals, including three males and three females, are missing.

The flood situation in the state is still grim as over 6.53 lakh people of 11 districts - Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Charaideo, Kamrup, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Dhemaji, Hojai, Kamrup (M) have been affected in the current wave of flood.

392195 people have been affected in the deluge alone in Sivasagar district, while 110755 people have been affected in Charaideo district, 97690 people in Jorhat, 25591 people in Golaghat, and 13390 people in Dibrugarh district. 939 villages under 40 revenue circles are still under water.

Over 3.13 lakh flood-affected people have taken shelter in 487 relief camps and relief distribution centres set up by the district administration. The ASDMA flood report also stated that 138965 animals have also been affected in the deluge. The flood waters on Wednesday damaged 53 roads, 6 embankments and other properties.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited several flood-affected areas of Golaghat district to assess the extent of damage and review ongoing rescue and relief operations.

As per the CMO, he interacted with flood-affected people taking shelter there and reviewed the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken.

Sarma informed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to him over the telephone today to review the prevailing flood situation in Assam.

He said the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed him that an inter-ministerial central team would soon visit Assam to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the flood damage and examine the assistance required from the Central Government for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction, the CMO stated.

"The flood situation in Assam is quite serious. So far, 40 people have died, but according to our assessment, there are still 70 to 80 people missing. I estimate that the casualty figure will rise further. This entire situation arose because of a cloudburst in Nagaland. Water came from the floodwaters and severely affected our four districts. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called me just now and told me that an inter-ministerial team will be sent to Assam today or tomorrow. I believe that both governments together will be able to stand with the people in this time of grief," CM Sarma said.

Heavy to exceptionally heavy downpours have battered Southern and Central Gujarat, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue Red Alerts for multiple districts.

The India Meteorological Department has issued rain warnings across Gujarat, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall in several districts over the next three days, prompting district administrations and the Surat Municipal Corporation to launch 24x7 relief and rescue operations.

South Gujarat districts remained on high alert as extremely heavy rainfall triggered waterlogging, river swelling, and large-scale evacuations, with authorities issuing red alerts and closing schools and colleges across Surat, Navsari and Valsad.

Surat city is under a Red Alert due to heavy rainfall. District Collector Tejas Parmar said the administration is "fully on alert" for Surat district, with heavy rainfall expected between 10:00 PM Wednesday and 4:00 AM Thursday. The Surat Municipal Corporation deployed teams for rapid drainage in key areas. At Monarch Junction on Pal Gaurav Path Road in Rander Zone, SMC workers launched operations to clear rainwater.

In Athwa Zone, immediate de-watering operations were undertaken to eliminate waterlogging and restore normal life.

Relief centres set up by Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) are providing continuous assistance. Milk and food packets were distributed in the morning to residents relocated from affected areas. Medical teams are also conducting health check-ups and monitoring at the centres.

In a timely rescue, 11 residents, including children, were safely evacuated from the Krishna Nagar area of Pandesara village and shifted to a secure location, officials said.

In view of the heavy rainfall situation in Valsad, the Commissionerate of Information announced that all factories and industrial units in the district were to remain closed today.

"Priority to workers' safety and public interest; instructions to retain only minimal staff for essential services," the statement said.

The district administration also appealed to citizens to "stay at a safe place and not to step out of their homes without any reason." Collector and District Development Officer have requested that, except for extremely essential work, people should not step out and must follow instructions issued from time to time.

All schools in Valsad district were declared closed on Thursday, July 23.

Southern belts recorded intense precipitation; Umarpada in Surat registered over 11 inches of rainfall within six hours, while Umbergaon in Valsad saw nearly 10 inches in a single morning.

Major cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara have faced heavy urban waterlogging, forcing municipal authorities to close underpasses, deploy high-capacity dewatering pumps, and relocate thousands from low-lying areas to shelters.

In districts like Valsad, local administrations ordered closures of industrial units and factories as safety precautions amid rising river levels and flooded access roads.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel over the phone and took stock of the situation arising due to heavy rainfall in the state, assuring all possible assistance from the Centre for relief and rescue operations and the safety of citizens in view of the heavy rains.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding relief and rescue operations amid the heavy rainfall situation in Gujarat. The Union Home Minister assured the state of all necessary assistance in this regard.

According to the Commissionerate of Information, Patel has deputed Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel, and senior secretaries to assist the administration in Surat, Valsad, and Navsari districts affected by heavy rainfall. In-charge secretaries have been instructed to immediately reach districts under Red Alert for rain-related preparedness and response.

Active monsoon troughs combined with regional circulation systems have brought intense rainfall to Eastern and Southern Rajasthan.

Heavy spells in districts across Eastern Rajasthan have filled local reservoirs and caused seasonal streams to overflow, cutting off rural link roads.

Sustained downpours have inundated low-lying agricultural stretches, damaging standing crops and posing urban waterlogging challenges in towns across the eastern belt.

Persistent rains combined with an active Western Disturbance have triggered flash floods, mudslides, and landslides across the mountainous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir.

Multi-location landslides and debris accumulation repeatedly forced the closure of the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), stranding hundreds of commercial and passenger vehicles.

Heavy rainfall atop the Trikuta hills led to landslides along the Vaishno Devi track near Himkoti, temporarily suspending battery-car services while clearance teams worked to restore path safety.

Rushing mountain streams have eroded riverbanks, posing structural risks to temporary bridges and rural access roads in vulnerable valley districts.

At least seven people died after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir's Surankote area of Poonch district on Sunday.

Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the government had made adequate preparations and that the alertness of officials helped reduce casualties and ensure timely rescue operations.

"We are deeply saddened and regret the loss of so many lives in Poonch district. We never expected such losses during this rainy season. The government had made complete preparations, so casualties were significantly reduced," the minister told ANI.

Authorities have been asked to maintain close coordination with district administrations to address the situation arising out of heavy rains across J&K.

The extreme weather conditions caused extensive damage to infrastructure across the region, with a major motorable bridge at Kallar-Androla over the Munawer River severely damaged after flash floods washed away one of its approach sides.

The bridge, constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD), was in the final stage of completion and had not yet been opened to the public.

The Kallar-Androla Bridge was a long-awaited project, with local residents demanding its construction for more than 10 years. Before the construction of the bridge, residents used a suspension (jhula) bridge to cross the river. However, its approach was washed away during the devastating floods of 2014.

Following years of demands from residents, the new bridge was finally constructed but suffered major damage in the recent flash floods.

The flash floods also destroyed a nearby Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) water supply structure, disrupting the supply of drinking water to the area.

As a result, residents are now facing two major challenges: the loss of road connectivity and disruption of clean drinking water supply.

Moreover, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'Orange Alert' for Mumbai amid the heavy rainfall for today, with predictions of heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places, accompanied by occasional strong winds reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting very likely to reach 70 kmph. Mumbai will remain under 'Yellow Alert' on Friday and Saturday.

The IMD has also issued a 'Red Alert' for Thane and Palghar districts. As per the IMD predictions, heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is expected, accompanied by strong winds reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting very likely to reach 70 kmph for Thane and Palghar.

Aftermath of the downpour resulted in the temporary suspension of rail traffic on the section between Gholvad and Umargam stations (Western Railway, Mumbai Central Division) as a precautionary measure due to rising water levels at Railway Bridge No. 203 affecting some train services.

The railway authorities have requested the passengers to check the latest status of their trains before commencing their journey and to follow official notifications issued by the Railways.

Heavy rain also lashed parts of Uttar Pradesh, leading to extensive damage to property and livestock. A red alert has been issued for several districts where water levels in rivers are flowing above the warning mark.

The affected areas include the Hindon river in Baghpat and Gautam Buddh Nagar-Noida, the Ganga river in Budaun, the Ghaghara river in Ayodhya and Ballia, and the Gandak river in Kushinagar.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the loss of lives, livestock and property and directed senior officials to visit affected areas and provide all possible assistance to families.

The Chief Minister directed officials to assess the loss of lives, livestock and property caused by excessive rainfall and lightning and ensure compensation is provided to the affected families within 24 hours.

He also instructed officials to maintain communication with affected families and ensure that all possible assistance is made available to them.

Appealing to the people of the state, the Chief Minister urged them to avoid unnecessarily stepping out of their homes during lightning.

Meanwhile, parts of Delhi also received rainfall at around 7:00 PM on Thursday amid the ongoing youth protests demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan from his position of Union Education Minister over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy. As rain lashed the national capital, the protestors continued to march as a united front amid heavy police deployment. (ANI)