Heavy rains and floods wreak havoc in N-E states, over 21 lakh affected in Assam
Guwahati: Heavy rainfall has caused havoc in northeastern states. Pointing out that over 21 lakh people were affected in Assam, official sources said that at least seven districts of Arunachal Pradesh in the central and eastern parts of the state were cut off due to landslides caused by flash floods. The affected districts include Lohit, Changlang, Anjaw, and East Siang. In the last 48 hours, eight persons, including two children, were killed in rain-induced landslides and floods in Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the flood situation was improving as the water flowing above the danger mark in Brahmaputra river and its tributaries continued to recede.
Mr Sarma, who was inspecting areas facing water-logging problems in Dibrugarh, said that power had been shut off due to the area inundated with water.
“The flood situation has improved and water has receded, but it continues at the places where there has been a breach of the embedment. The power supply has been cut for the safety of the people. The power can be restored in 2 minutes but the power has been cut off as there is water everywhere,” he told reporters.
While the minister's evaluation suggested improvement in Dibrugarh, an alert was issued in Kamrup district where the Brahmaputra, Digaru and Kollong rivers are flowing above the danger mark and submerging vast amounts of land.
The flood has also affected the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve where the floodwaters killed 31 animals — 30 hog deer and one otter pup. Forest guards, however, rescued 82 animals, a two-month-old rhino among them.
Meanwhile Assam State Disaster Management Authority in a statement said that six people have died and over 21 lakh people have been affected across 29 districts. This year, 62 people have died in the state from storms, landslides and floods.
The State Disaster Response Force has been deployed along with the NDRF and fire services to carry out rescue operations across the state.
