Embankment breach on Puthimari river floods villages across Udalguri

A roughly thirty-metre stretch of the Puthimari river embankment in Udalguri district gave way early this morning, flooding more than a dozen villages along the riverbank. The breach occurred as the river was already flowing above the danger mark following days of heavy rain.

"As soon as we got word, we sent an NDRF team and local volunteers to the site," a district disaster management official said. "There are no reports of casualties so far, but a number of families have had to leave their homes for relief camps."

"Within a few hours the water had reached our courtyard. We couldn't save much," one resident said. The district administration has set up five relief camps across the affected villages, sheltering close to five hundred families.

The irrigation department said embankment repairs began the same day, with sandbags being used to temporarily plug the breach. Officials estimate a permanent repair will take at least a week.

The deputy commissioner has urged residents to move to safer ground and said the situation is being monitored around the clock. The state government has also promised additional relief supplies.