by Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : 15 killed in flash floods, landslides in Northeast. Flash floods and landslides, triggered by torrential rains, continue to wreak havoc in the Northeast. Flash floods in the past 48 hours have left 15 people dead and thousand and thousands homeless across Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and also disrupting rail services. Altogether 1,66,836 people in 370 villages of seven districts in Assam have been affected by the first wave of the flood of the year. The affected districts are Hojai, Cachar, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Karbi Anglong (East) and West Karbi Anglong, as per the flood bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. A minor landslide took place at Hemlota area in Guwahati’s Kamakhya region. As per the flood bulletin, the National and State Disaster Response Force teams rescued 422 people, mostly in southern Assam. A total of 115 relief camps have been opened in Karimganj, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts for 35,927 inmates. The flood situation of Barak Valley has remained critical as most of the rivers are flowing above the danger level, as per reports.

According to the flood bulletin issued by the ASDMA, the Dhansiri (South) at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, the Barak at Annapurna Ghat in Cachar district and at Badarpurghat in Karimganj district, the Katakhal at Matizuri in Hailakandi district and the Kushiyara at Karimganj in Karimganj district are flowing above their respective danger levels. The rail communication between Lumding and Badarpur has been disrupted due to landslides in between Jatinga and Harangajao, and Daotuhaja and Phiding. Due to landslides, road communication was disrupted in many portions like Jatinga-Harangajao, Haflong-Mahur, Jatinga-Haflong. As per reports, the water level of the Barak River and its tributaries are increasing rapidly, snapping communication between the Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Landslides have also been reported at several locations on the National Highway 44 in Meghalaya. On the other hand, the Manipur government has declared a holiday for all government offices and educational institutions as floods hit most part of Imphal city.In Mizoram, flash floods have been reported in Lunglei and Aizwal districts, where over a thousand people have been evacuated to safer places. Landslides have blocked roads in more than 30 locations.

As per reports, waters of many rivers of Tripura are flowing over the danger levels. Flood waters inundated several villages, paddy fields, highways besides low-lying areas across the state. Rail connectivity and surface communicated disrupted due to landslides and floods.50,000 people of over 10,000 families have taken shelter in around 200 relief camps in different parts of the state, mostly in northern Tripura.Flash floods, landslides wreak havoc in Manipur, MizoramGuwahati: Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains have wreaked havoc in parts of the north-east, particularly Manipur and Mizoram. The situation is worse in Manipur. The entire Imphal Valley, which includes 40 of the state’s 60 Assembly constituencies, is under floodwaters, resulting in large-scale displacement of people.The situation is critical. Almost the entire Imphal Valley resembles a sea. Some hill districts have been also badly affected by landslides. We are trying to rescue people and give relief to them. We are assessing the situation,” he said. Singh also said that a national highway, which connects Manipur with southern Assam’s Barak Valley, had been cut off following landslides.

The All India Radio station is submerged, resulting in suspension of its services, Singh added. In the wake of the floods, power supply has been also affected. Educational institutes and government offices were closed in the valley on Wednesday. According to official sources, a number of river embankments caved in at various places as several rivers were in spate, flowing above the danger level. In Mizoram, hundreds of families have been affected by flash floods and landslides in four districts, including Aizawl. As landslides blocked roads in more than 40 places, disrupting traffic, the state government declared a two-day holiday. Mizoram Minister Lalthanzara told The New Indian Express that the road to Lengpui Airport, which remained blocked due to mudslides, was cleared on Tuesday evening. “The people are suffering a lot as the landslides occurred in more than 40 places in four districts. Around 80 per cent of the blockage has been cleared,” he said. Parts of Assam are also in the grip of floods. The flooded Difolu river submerged National Highway 37 for a few hundred metres in Golaghat district, affecting vehicular traffic.

Kaziranga National Park was also partially inundated. In Barak Valley, the floods inundated several villages in Karimganj and Hailakandi districts. In Assam, as many as 1,48,912 people have been affected in 222 villages under eight revenue circles in the districts of Biswanath, Karbi Anglong West and Karbi Anglong East, Golaghat, Karimganj and Hailakandi, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report issued today. Karimganj in the Barak Valley remained the worst-hit with the breaching of the Longai river at Nayadhar area. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has so far evacuated 124 people in the district. The authorites have opened 71 relief camps with Karimganj having the highest of 54, followed by Hailakandi 16 and Golaghat one. In total, 10,710 people have taken shelter in relief camps with Karimganj having the highest at 10,100. The flood situation in the other districts of the state is also being closely monitored, the officials said. In Tripura, over 3,500 families have been rendered homeless.15 Dead In Flash Floods, Landslides In Tripura, Manipur, Assam Flash floods and landslides have killed fifteen people in Tripura and Manipur. Torrential rain in last 24 hours have crippled normal life in Assam