Northeast Floods: Information that mainstream media not reporting

Eight more people have been killed by floods and landslides in northeast India, bringing the death toll to 73, authorities said on Sunday. The death toll from floods and landslides hitting Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh since April has reached 110.

Flooding has affected 32 of the 35 districts in Assam state where the Brahmaputra river burst its banks, forcing the evacuation of more than 3 million people. The Indian Army has been dispatched to help with the rescue effort and the Indian Air Force is on standby.

Assam flood

The flood situation in Assam worsened on Sunday. In the last 24 hours, 9 have died due to floods and landslides while more than 42 lakh people are affected. 5 people missing after boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river at Rohmoria in Dibrugarh. Several areas of Guwahati were submerged in water due to torrential rains that occurred overnight. The situation is worse due to continuous rain in the state for the last 6 days.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, floods in Assam have claimed 9 lives in the last 24 hours while 42.28 lakh people in 33 districts have been affected. 5,137 villages are in the grip of floods. According to the ASDMA, four people died due to landslides and five people drowned at different places during the day.

"Entire Assam is affected due to floods. All our teams are deployed - around 14 teams officially, but we have more than those teams which are working. Rescue ops are still going on. In terms of manpower, more than 400 people are deployed. We've moved additional teams from HQ, to different places in Assam," HPS Kandari, Commander 1st Bn, NDRF told ANI.

Assam has been reeling under devastating floods with 32 of the 33 districts of the northeastern state now inundated by floods. At least eight people have died in the last 24 hours.

"The situation is very bad. We are trying to help people. Temporary bridges are being built in the flood-affected districts to reach people," Assam Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika told NDTV.

Arunachal Pradesh

Incessant rains in recent days have triggered landslides and flooding in several districts of Arunachal Pradesh, disrupting superficial communication, while one person has died and three others have been missing since June 18, authorities said.

The situation is no better in Arunachal Pradesh, where roads have been damaged by landslides and villages are largely flooded. Sohra (formerly Cherrapunji) in Meghalaya recorded a massive rainfall of 972mm in 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Friday, while Mawsynram received rainfall of 1003.6mm during the same period, IMD officials said.

Margherita-Changlang road in Changlang district, Hoj-Potin road in Papum Pare, Balemu-Bomdila road in West Kameng, and Trans Arunachal road in Upper Subansiri, Kurung Kumey and many other districts are blocked due to landslides. Earth.

The disaster management department has issued directives to all deputy commissioners to remain alert to respond to any eventuality. The department is also in constant contact with agencies like IMD and CWC for early warning.

Relief centers have been set up in all districts to house the affected people.

The Capital District administration has given evacuation and relocation orders to 279 houses that are vulnerable to flooding and landslides, an official said. According to a report by the state disaster management department, landslides and floods have damaged 524 houses in 87 towns in the state since April this year, affecting a total of 11,000 people.

Meghalaya

The India Meteorological Department in Shillong, Meghalaya reported that the city of Sohra (also known as Cherrapunjee) recorded 811.6mm of rainfall in 24 hours till June 15, 2022. This is the seventh highest rainfall in 24 hours for Sohra in the month of June. The highest record in history is 1,563.0 mm on June 16, 1995.

Heavy rains caused damage, flooding and landslides in several districts of the state at this time. Meghalaya chief minister reported that 4 people from the same family were killed when a landslide buried a house in Laitlarem, Mawphlang Block, East Khasi Hills district on June 16. On June 17, the Chief Minister reported the deaths of 3 people due to flash floods in Baghmara and 1 person due to a landslide in Siju, South Garo Hills district.

Severe damage to National Highway 6 in the East Jaintia Hills district has caused major traffic problems. The highway is a vital road link between Meghalaya and neighbouring states.

At least five lakh people have been affected in neighbouring Meghalaya, where two major national highways remain closed due to heavy damage from landslides.

Sikkim

Heavy rain triggered a landslide in Gangtok, Sikkim, India on June 14, 2022. Army troops were called in to help rescue eight victims buried under rubble. One of those rescued later died, while the other seven were injured and hospitalized.

In Sikkim, the rains triggered landslides on the 20th Mile, between the Singtam and Rangpo sections, on the NH10 that connects the state with the rest of the country.

Manipur

The Manipur sports and youth affairs department announced on Sunday the postponement of the state-level Subroto Mukherjee football tournament due to incessant rains for the past few days.

The tournament for boys U-14 and U-17 was scheduled to start on June 21, 2022.

Rail connectivity between Guwahati and South Assam districts and Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur districts has remained disrupted since May 16 when flash floods and landslides after heavy rains damaged railway tracks at several places in the section Lumding-Badarpur in Assam, while landslides on June 15 in several places on the NH-6 in Meghalaya that connects Guwahati with southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur brought road movements to a standstill.

Mizoram

The Mizoram government on Sunday asked all schools to suspend classes for the next two days in the wake of heavy rains that had hit the state in recent days, causing landslides and flooding in streets and residential areas.

A notification issued by the department of school education said that all schools, from primary to senior secondary, will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday to ensure students are safe amid the inclement weather.

The decision was made based on the suggestion of the state disaster department, he said. The Met department has forecast torrential rain in the state in the next two days.

Tripura

The flooding situation in Tripura improved marginally on Sunday with no new spells of heavy rain, even as it was feared that one person might be swept away by floodwaters from the Katakhal river, an official said.

The water level of the Haora river, which had crossed the danger mark of 10.80 meters, flooding the low-lying areas of the Municipal Corporation of Agartala and its neighbourhood on Saturday, is now flowing below the warning limit (9.02 meters ), said.

About 12,000 people have been made homeless due to flash floods caused by torrential rains on Friday in three districts, West Tripura, Unakoti and North Tripura, he said, adding that 45 relief camps have been set up. In the Sadar subdivision alone, more than 11,000 people have been forced to take shelter in 42 camps, the SDMA official said.

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