The flood situation in Assam has intensified, with two major rivers in the state — the Dhansiri in Golaghat and the Dikhow in Sivasagar — now flowing above their designated danger levels. This update comes from the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) daily flood bulletin issued on Friday.
These are currently the only two locations in India categorised under the ‘severe flood’ warning. While this status means the water levels have breached official danger thresholds, the CWC clarified that they remain below the historical flood peaks recorded in previous years. However, the situation remains concerning as water levels in both rivers continue to rise.
In Numaligarh, Golaghat district, the Dhansiri river was measured at 78.81 metres, exceeding its danger level of 78.42 metres. According to the CWC, the river was rising steadily at a rate of 20 millimetres per hour earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, in Sivasagar district, the Dikhow river reached 92.57 metres, crossing its danger threshold of 92.4 metres. The rate of rise was significantly faster than in Golaghat, with water levels increasing by 110 millimetres per hour.
Beyond these two rivers, several other water bodies in Assam have also shown rising trends. Six additional monitoring sites across the state have been listed under the ‘above normal flood’ category. These include the Barak River at Annapurna Ghat, the Beki River near the Beki Road Bridge, and the Brahmaputra River at Neamatighat, among others. These rivers have crossed the warning levels and are approaching danger zones.
Across India, 14 sites are currently experiencing water levels above the warning mark, while 12 others fall under the ‘above normal’ category. These sites are located in states including Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The CWC is also keeping track of inflows into major reservoirs. Twenty-five reservoirs in 11 states have reported inflows above the designated threshold levels. Among them, the Bargi reservoir on the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh recorded an inflow of 6,948 cubic metres per second (cumecs). In Telangana, the P D Jurala dam received 3,400 cumecs of water.
Despite these developments, no river or location in the country has yet been classified under the ‘extreme flood’ category, according to the Commission.
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