Himanta Sarma Posts Video Of Turtle Rescued By Locals As Assam Battles Floods

Assam continues to battle relentless floods and landslides triggered by days of incessant rainfall, with five people killed in Guwahati alone and thousands affected across the Northeast.

Amid the ongoing crisis, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has shared a video showing locals rescuing a turtle from a waterlogged street in Guwahati and releasing it safely into the Brahmaputra.

"A turtle of hope amidst the dark clouds," the Chief Minister wrote on X.

"This turtle got lost in the flood in Guwahati, and locals and administration together released it back into the Brahmaputra. Caring for living beings even in difficult times - this is the identity of Assam," Mr Sarma added.

The widely shared clip shows a group of men lifting the turtle from a flooded lane and releasing it to safety. The video then cuts to the turtle crawling along the banks of the Brahmaputra before entering the river.

घने बादलों के बीच आशा की एक किरण????

गुवाहाटी की बाढ़ में भटका ये कछुआ, स्थानीय लोगों और प्रशासन ने मिलकर इसे फिर से ब्रह्मपुत्र में छोड़ा।

कठिन समय में भी जीवों की देखभाल करना- यही है असम की पहचान। pic.twitter.com/VDcXkfVmr5

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 31, 2025

State Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, after a review meeting, said the city was facing logistical challenges in addressing waterlogging, but corrective steps were underway.

On June 1, Silchar, Assam's second largest city, recorded 415.8 mm rainfall in 24 hours, breaking a 132-year-old record of 290.3 mm set in 1893.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed this extreme weather to a combination of upper-air cyclonic circulations and low-level troughs, with intense activity seen from Central Assam to Arunachal Pradesh.

The situation isn't confined to Assam.

In the past three days, at least 34 people have been killed due to floods and landslides across the northeastern states, including Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya.

Mizoram recorded 1,102 per cent above-normal rainfall on May 31. In Meghalaya, flash floods and landslides have affected 10 districts. Tripura has reported over 10,000 people affected by flash floods. Manipur has seen damage to more than 3,300 houses and over 19,000 people impacted due to overflowing rivers and breached embankments.