Flood situation deteriorates in Assam; death toll rises to 36 in Northeast

Guwahati, June 2 (IANS) The overall flood situation further deteriorated in Assam while the deluge slightly improved in other northeastern states, even as the death toll in floods, rain, and landslides rose to 36 in six northeastern states.

With two more deaths reported from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, the total death toll during the current spell of rain and floods since May 29 increased to 36.

According to the disaster management officials of different northeastern states, out of 36, at least 11 people were killed in Assam, followed by 10 in Arunachal Pradesh, six each in Meghalaya and Mizoram, two in Tripura and one in Nagaland.

The officials said that the deaths were reported due to drowning, landslides and waterlogging in these six states. No casualties have yet been reported from Manipur. In Assam, according to the report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the overall flood situation deteriorated in the state, with over 5.15 lakh people affected by the floods and rains in 22 districts.

The ASDMA report said that over 12610.27 hectares of crop lands were affected in 1254 villages under 22 districts. The report said that 1,85,389 people, including women and children, took shelter in 479 relief camps and relief distribution centres.

With one more death reported from Lohit district, the death toll in landslides and floods in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 10 even as incessant monsoon rains continued on Monday.

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) officials said that in all, 938 people in 156 villages in 23 districts have been affected by the ongoing floods and heavy rain.

The body of Guptajit Bharali, swept away by flooded Sukha Nallah in Upper Digaru, was recovered downstream at Lasa Pani in Lohit district. Governor K T Parnaik urged people to remain alert, especially in vulnerable and landslide-prone areas.

Calling on district administrations to remain vigilant, the Governor emphasised the importance of night-time movement restrictions in risky zones and advocated proactive communication to keep citizens informed and safe.

While several rivers and their tributaries are flowing above danger levels, flood-like conditions and landslides have also been reported in West Kameng, Kamle, Lower and Upper Subansiri, Papum Pare, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Changlang, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, and Longding districts of the state.

In Manipur, more than 19,810 people have been affected by floods in Manipur caused by overflowing rivers and breaches in embankments, mostly in Imphal East and Imphal West districts.

According to disaster management officials, more than 3,365 houses have been damaged by heavy rain and floods triggered by incessant torrential rains during the last four days.

So far, 31 relief camps have been opened, mostly in the Imphal East district, to mitigate the hardships of the people who have been evacuated from their localities.

The officials said that so far, 47 landslides have been reported in different parts of the state during the last four days, blocking several roads.

Several localities in the state's capital, Imphal, and many parts of Imphal East district have been inundated after a swollen river breached embankments and overflowed in Khurai, Heingang and Checkon areas.

The flood water also entered the premises of several government and private offices, health facilities and establishments, including All India Radio Imphal complex, and state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), after the Imphal river overflowed in the Checkon area. Many patients were shifted from the JNIMS to other health centres.

Flood situation slightly improved in Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland.

--IANS

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