Hydrometeorological disasters claim 101 human lives in Northeast; Assam tops list

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Even as the Northeast mostly received deficient rainfall in this monsoon, as many as 101 people lost their lives in the region, with Assam topping the list with 32 deaths, in ‘hydro-meteorological disasters’ this year.

A hydrometeorological disaster is a natural hazard that originates from atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic conditions, often involving the transfer of energy and water between the atmosphere and earth’s surface. Essentially, it is a disaster caused by weather and water-related events.

According to information from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Assam has also lost 14,256 cattle, besides the loss of human lives. Apart from this, Assam suffered the damage of 39,810 houses and huts and over 29,714 hectares of crop area from April 1 to July 16, 2025.

In terms of the loss of human lives, Tripura comes next with the loss of 23 human lives, besides the damage of 8,260 houses and huts.

Among the other states in the region, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram lost 14 human lives each; eight in Sikkim; seven in Manipur; and three in Nagaland.

During this period (April 1 to July 16, 2025), Andhra Pradesh lost the highest number of 258 human lives in hydro-meteorological disasters in the country that lost 1,297 human lives as a whole.

The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on May 24, 2025, 8 days in advance compared to its normal date of onset, which is on June 1. This is the earliest onset in 17 years, after 2009, when it was on May 23. It was followed by rapid advance till May 29, when it covered South India and Northeast India.

According to the MHA, the financial assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)/National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the wake of natural disasters is by way of relief and not for compensation of loss as suffered/claimed. As per the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the primary responsibility for disaster management, including disbursal of relief assistance on ground level, rests with the state governments concerned. However, financial assistance to notified calamities, including landslides and floods, is provided from SDRF/NDRF as per established procedure. The state government concerned is required to undertake necessary relief measures in the landslide-affected areas out of the SDRF, already placed with the state government, as per Government of India norms.

During the current financial year (as of July 15, 2025), the Central Government has released a central share of Rs 9578.40 crore to 22 states under SDRF in order to support the affected people.

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