IMD has forecast widespread thundershowers with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over all the northeastern states, adjoining sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next five days
Heavy rain lashed large swathes of northeastern India on Friday, including Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, worsening the flood situation in several places, even as the Met department forecast more downpour in the region over the next five days.
Extremely heavy rain was recorded at isolated places in Meghalaya, Assam, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and heavy to very heavy downpour in Nagaland and Tripura, an official of the Met department said.
The weatherman has forecast widespread thundershowers with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over all the northeastern states, adjoining sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next five days.
The southwest monsoon is likely to advance further in another two to three days into the remaining areas of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, some parts of Gangetic Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, the Met office said.
Assam
Two children were crushed to death when a landslide led to a house collapse in Azad Nagar area of Goalpara district in Assam on Thursday, and two persons drowned in floodwater in Dima Hasao and Udalguri, raising the toll due to floods and mudslides in the state this year to 46, officials said.
Meanwhile, the flood situation in Assam’s Kamrup district deteriorated after the flood waters entered new areas affecting more than 70,000 people in the area.
The water level of the Borolia river and other major rivers of the district are rising up following incessant rains. The flood waters of the Borolia river on Thursday washed away a portion of an embankment at Choumukha and submerged several villages in the Hajo area. Similarly, flood waters have submerged at least 77 villages under the Rangia sub-division in the Kamrup district affecting nearly 44,000 people.
The water levels in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries are maintaining a rising trend, while Manas, Pagladiya, Puthimari, Kopili, and Gauranga rivers are flowing above the danger level. The water levels of Brahmaputra at Dhubri and Nematighat are also currently above the danger mark.
Alerts have been sounded in Karbi Anglong, Morigaon and Nagaon districts after the opening of four sluice gates of NEEPCO’s Karbi Langpi Hydro Electric Project at Langdong in Dima Hasao district.
Heavy rain continued to lash across the state, leading to floods in urban areas of Kamrup Metro, Kamrup, Bajali, Darrang, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nalbari and Udalguri.
Several landslides were reported in Guwahati city with three persons getting injured in Ajantanagar in the Noonmati area here. Roadblocks due to landslides were reported in Kamakhya Nursery, Joypur in Kharguli area, Bonda Colony, South Sarania, Amayapur in Geetanagar and 12 Mile.
The downpour has also damaged two electric poles near Raj Bhavan here, while restoration work was going on to clear a road that led to Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s residence at Nizarapar. The road was blocked by rubbles caused by a landslide on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Northeast Frontier Railway cancelled or diverted several trains following waterlogging on the tracks between Nalbari and Ghograpar of the Rangiya division in Lower Assam, according to a spokesperson.
Guwahati came to a standstill due to waterlogging in most parts of the city for the third consecutive day with Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagae, Zoo Road, Six Mile, Noonmati, Bhootnath, Maligaon, Bamunimaidam, Rajgarh Link Road, Hatigaon, Rukimingaon, Fatasil, Gotanagar among others severely affected.
The administrations of flood-affected districts have issued alerts, urging people not to go out of their homes unless it is urgent or there is a medical emergency.
The deputy commissioners of most of the Lower Assam districts have also issued directives to all schools and colleges to remain closed till Saturday, following the Regional Meteorological Centre’s warning of “heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya”. The RMC also issued an ‘orange alert’ on Friday and Saturday for the two states.
Many roads and 3,226 hectares of cropland in the district have been submerged by flood waters.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood report, more than 11.09 lakh people in 25 districts of the state have been affected by the current deluge. Four people died in floods and landslides in the state in the last 24 hours. The district authorities have opened 124 relief camps and 46 relief distribution centres.
Meghalaya
Incessant rainfall in Meghalaya caused a landslide in Darrang village on Darrang Shnongpdeng Road under Dawki Police Station limits in the West Jaintia Hills district on Friday. Several roads were also damaged by landslides in the East Khasi Hills district.
Sohra in Meghalaya recorded the highest rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am of Thursday at 70 cm, followed by Kokrajhar (32 cm), Gosaingaon (32 cm), Goalpara (23 cm) and Nalbari (23 cm) in Assam, Jalpaiguri (23 cm), Hasimara (22 cm) and Alipurduar (21 cm) in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bhalukpong (10 cm) in Arunachal Pradesh, the Met department said.
Four minors were killed and two injured in a landslide that occurred at Laitlarem village under Mawphlang C&RD block in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Thursday. Among the deceased children, two were girls and all are below 10 years old. The injured persons are being treated at Mawphlang CHC. According to the district administration, one residential house was destroyed by the overflowing mud.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next kin of each of the deceased. Sangma also held a review meeting to assess the situation in the state’s Garo Hills region which has been hit by landslides and floods last week.
The meeting held at Tura was attended by the deputy commissioners, superintendent of police and district officials in the three worst-affected districts of West Garo Hills, South West Garo Hills and South Garo Hills District.
During the meeting, officials apprised Sangma of the different relief measures that are being taken in their respective jurisdictions while informing them that the situation in most areas is returning to normal due to receding flood waters.
The chief minister instructed all officials to actively engage and extend all possible assistance so that emergency relief measures reach the flood-affected people and families at the earliest.
Tripura
Meanwhile, the surface link between Tripura and the rest of the country snapped on Thursday following massive landslides triggered by heavy rainfall on National Highway-6, the officials said. Train services in Tripura have been disrupted for the past one month due to torrential rain.
As per a report by Indian Express, after road connectivity was hit due to the collapse of parts of National Highway 6 at Meghalaya, Tripura announced on Friday that it would introduce two pairs of buses to transport passengers via Bangladesh, in addition to a bus service currently active in the Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata route. The state government has also asked Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to take up the issue of fuel supplies through Bangladesh for emergencies.
Essential supplies have not reached Tripura after the NH-6 was damaged in the rains, said Food and Civil Supplies Director Tapan Das, reported The Indian Express.
“Railway connectivity is disrupted from before due to landslides and the roadway is halted now as well,” Das said. “We have got nine days’ petrol stock and five days’ stock for diesel now. More fuel bullets are in transit but they can come once the road is repaired.”
With input from agencies
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