Floods in India leave trail of destruction and deaths

On August 22, 2026, records indicated that severe floods struck the state of Assam, in northeastern India, and the neighboring region of Nagaland. The disaster left more than 100 dead, destroyed thousands of villages, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

How the floods devastated the region

Incessant rain between July 18 and 20 submerged the Upper Assam region and the Naga Hills in Nagaland. The accumulation of water triggered dozens of landslides and caused rivers descending from the hills to overflow, resulting in a strong current that caught residents by surprise.

The force of the waters destroyed 2,700 villages and affected 1.2 million people in total, according to state government data. Tens of thousands of tree trunks were piled up where houses once stood, and rice crops were completely destroyed.

Stories of loss and rescue

Residents reported that the force of the water resembled scenes from movies or a tsunami. Debiram Panika, a daily wage laborer, lost his wife and four-year-old daughter when the water invaded his bamboo and mud house.

Other residents managed to escape by taking shelter on the roofs of concrete houses. Two volunteer friends used local boats to save about 1,000 lives during two days of operation without food or water.

Causes pointed out by experts and authorities

Researchers and residents point out that unregulated coal, stone, and sand mining, combined with deforestation, worsened the tragedy. Data indicates that Nagaland has lost a significant portion of its forest cover in recent decades.

While government authorities attributed the disaster to the forces of nature and excessive rainfall resulting from climate change, opposition politicians and researchers classified the event as a disaster generated by human action and uncontrolled river exploitation.

With information from Al Jazeera.