More than a week after devastating floods swept through Madhupur village in the Jonai Assembly constituency of Dhemaji district, Assam, residents are still struggling to rebuild as homes, farmland and a local school remain buried under mud, sand and debris. The sudden shift has left many families homeless and cut off from their livelihoods.
The Dikhari River, which rises in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh, changed course during the floods and carved a new channel through Madhupur, effectively splitting the settlement into two. Residents say the newly formed channel swept away houses, livestock and standing crops, and tore through fields that sustained the village.
“We have put up a temporary shelter on raised poles and are surviving on the limited relief provided by the government,” a Madhupur resident said, describing how farming has been destroyed and personal belongings lost. The same villager added that the river previously flowed on the opposite side of the village and only shifted close to homes during the floods.
The inundation also caused significant infrastructure damage: power lines were snapped and electricity was disrupted, compounding the challenges for families trying to salvage what remains. With homes buried under thick layers of detritus, many residents now live in makeshift shelters while cleanup and restoration efforts continue.
Relief teams and local authorities are working to restore services and provide aid, but villagers say the scale of damage to housing, farmland and essential facilities will require sustained support. The loss of crops and livestock threatens longer-term food security and income for affected households as the community looks to recover.
