Rivers swollen by the lashing rain including the mighty Brahmaputra, which rises in the Himalayas and flows through India’s northeast towards its delta in Bangladesh broke their banks across the region
Guwahati: Flash floods and landslides after torrential monsoon rain over the last two days killed at least 30 people in India’s northeast, officials said Sunday.
State disaster management officials said eight people died in Assam, and nine in Arunachal Pradesh, many of them in landslides as earth loosened by the water slumped into the valley below.
Another five people died in a landslide in the neighbouring state of Mizoram, state authorities said.
The officials said that six people lost their lives in Meghalaya and at least two others were killed in the states of Nagaland and Tripura.
A red alert warning was issued for several districts in the region after the non-stop downpour over the last three days.
Rivers swollen by the lashing rain including the mighty Brahmaputra, which rises in the Himalayas and flows through India’s northeast towards its delta in Bangladesh broke their banks across the region.
The flood situation in Assam was grim on Sunday as 10 major rivers were flowing above the danger level and 78,000 people affected by the deluge in more than 15 districts.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah enquired about the flood situation in the state and offered all assistance.Eight people have died in floods and landslides in the state so far, which has affected over 78,000 residents in more than 15 districts, officials said. Road transport, train movement and ferry services were also affected by floods and landslides.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an ‘orange bulletin’ for the state in view of the severe flood situation as 10 major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, were flowing above the danger level.
Shah dialled Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier in the day to take stock of the situation in the state.
A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said that in the wake of heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours and water flowing over the tracks on the Baraigram-Dullabcherra section, the Dullabcherra-Silchar passenger train, Silchar- Dullabcherra passenger train and Badarpur- Dullabcherra- Badarpur passenger train have been cancelled for two days.
The Guwahati-Dullabcherra- Guwahati train will be short terminated/short originated at/from Baraigram and remained cancelled between Baraigram and Dullabcherra till Tuesday, he added.
A portion of National Highway-17 has been overtopped near Shingra Shalnibari in Chaygaon area of Kamrup district since Saturday, officials said.
Heavy rain coupled with water flowing down from neighbouring Meghalaya has aggravated the situation in the area, they said.
Measures were being taken to facilitate traffic movement using alternative routes, they said.
The Indian army said that it had saved hundreds “in a massive rescue operation” across Manipur state.
“People have been shifted to safer places”, the army said on Saturday. “Food, water and essential medicines were provided.”
Conrad K Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya state, has ordered officials to remain on high alert “especially in landslide-prone and low-lying areas”, he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,500 tourists were stranded in various parts of north Sikkim on Saturday as the main road was blocked due to landslides triggered by incessant rains, officials said.
On the other side, the search for the missing eight tourists was disrupted by heavy rains, and it was finally suspended after the water level in the Teesta river increased, they said.
One person was killed, two injured, and eight others went missing when a vehicle in which 11 tourists were travelling plunged into the Teesta river in Mangan district on Thursday night. The vehicle plunged more than 1,000 feet into the river near Munsithang along the Lachen-Lachung highway.
Mangan’s SP Sonam Detchu Bhutia said 115 tourists are stranded in Lachen and 1,350 tourists in Lachung.
“Since exit from both directions is closed due to landslides at multiple locations, the tourists have been advised to remain in their hotels, and once the roads are completely opened, they shall be shifted,” he said.
Incessant rainfall lashed the district throughout the day, especially the Chungthang sub-division, officials said
Power supply, which was snapped on Friday afternoon, was restored this evening, while efforts are underway to restore the drinking water supply by Sunday, they said.
The mobile connectivity was restored after nearly 24 hours, around 3 pm, they said.
Due to heavy rainfall induced by cloud burst in the area, the water level in the river Teesta has increased, they added.
The Lachung road was restored this evening, but the road from Pegong (Chungthang) to Phidang via Shipgyer, Sangkalang is closed due to multiple landslides, an official said.
“No tourist permits have been issued today, and will also not be issued tomorrow for visiting north Sikkim,” he said.
Scores of people die each year during the rainy season due to flash floods and landslides across India, a country of 1.4 billion people.
India’s annual monsoon season from June to September offers respite from the intense summer heat and is crucial for replenishing water supplies, but also brings widespread death and destruction.
South Asia is getting hotter and in recent years has seen shifting weather patterns, but scientists are unclear on how exactly a warming planet is affecting monsoons.
Last month, India’s financial capital Mumbai was swamped by monsoon rain that began two weeks earlier than usual, the earliest for nearly a quarter of a century, according to weather forecasters.