India — humanitarian situation

India faces a widespread monsoon emergency affecting multiple states, with Assam and Odisha bearing the heaviest humanitarian burden. Heavy monsoonal rainfall beginning 19 July 2026 triggered severe flooding across Assam, with precipitation reaching up to 490% above normal levels in Upper Assam IFRC. As of early August, flooding has affected over 705,000 people across Assam, with 87 deaths confirmed and thousands displaced HAI. Sivasagar district remains the worst affected, with nearly 190,000 people impacted HAI. In Odisha, one of the state's largest flood emergencies in recent years has affected 864,000 people across 22 districts (Sphere India). Kerala also reports dynamic conditions with multiple districts experiencing evacuations, road disruptions, and rising river levels. Gujarat and Maharashtra face concurrent monsoon-related emergencies, creating a complex multi-state crisis scenario (Sphere India). Approximately 56,606 hectares of agricultural land have been damaged in Assam alone, with extensive areas covered by sand and silt that will impede cultivation in coming seasons HAI. Many affected communities, particularly those not traditionally flood-prone, have lost homes and agricultural assets entirely. The Indian Red Cross Society is mobilizing relief for 15,000 affected families IRCS, IFRC, while 354 relief camps across four Assam districts shelter 37,724 people HAI. Local assessments have verified 26,400 families in urgent need across Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, and Charaideo districts HAI. Thousands remain in roadside shelters unable to return home, with limited access to safe water and sanitation creating prolonged recovery challenges beyond immediate relief HAI. UNICEF reports providing life-saving health, nutrition, WASH, education, and child protection services to 2.3 million crisis-affected people across South Asia, including 1.9 million children in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka during the first half of 2026 UNICEF. WFP continues climate resilience programming in Assam, having organized over 60 plant clinics connecting smallholder farmers with experts through the ENACT-Assam project WFP. External factors compound domestic challenges, as continued disruptions in global fuel and fertilizer markets from the Middle East crisis, coupled with forecasts of a strong El Niño event, threaten agricultural production across the Asia-Pacific region WFP.