Guwahati: Northeastern India is witnessing heavy rains. Guwahati is one of the worst hit cities due to rains. Massive waterlogging was reported from the state capital on Friday and motorists had a hard time negotiating the roads.
Situation not good: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the situation was not good. NDTV quoted him as saying, “The situation will remain the same tomorrow also. The state government is monitoring the situation. Due to heavy rainfall in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, large areas have been affected. Tomorrow, in Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro), all state government employees will get a special casual leave, schools & colleges to remain shut and private establishments are also advised to take measures accordingly.”
Almost half of Guwahati was flooded following heavy rains. The city recorded 37mm rainfall in 24 hours. The rainfall disrupted normal life. The neighbouring state of Mizoram also witnessed heavy rainfall. Several houses and a hotel collapsed in the state, which led to at least 1 death. Several more deaths are feared due to the deluge. The house collapse incidents occurred in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai town, following a landslide which was triggered by heavy rains.
According to a report in PTI, the incident in Mizoram occurred at around 10:30 pm on Friday, in the border area of Bazar Veng and Chandmary localities in Lawngtlai. Several people staying at a hotel which collapsed due to the rains are feared trapped and the death count might rgo up. Another death was reported from Aizwal, where a 37-year-old man died after being buried under a collapsed stone in Thuampui area. Another person was seriously injured in the same incident.
In Assam’s capital Guwahati, several areas including Rukminigaon, Beltola Survey, Hatigaon, Geetanagar, Anil Nagar, Lakhimi Nagar, Jatia, Maligaon, and Panjabari remained under water following the rains.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Assam for May 31. The Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Bajali, Tamulpur, and Darrang districts have been warned of very heavy rains in the state on May 31, by the weather department. Three landslides were reported from Guwahati as well, but there have been no deaths from these disasters as of now. The weather in Assam is expected to remain the same till Saturday evening and improve somewhat on Sunday.
Flights diverted
9 Guwahati-bound flights were redirected to Agartala and Kolkata, due to heavy rains. Several flights were delayed due to the heavy rains. An airport official said that more flight diversions and cancellations are expected in the coming days, if the weather does not improve in the northeast.
Apart from flights, ferry services on the Brahmaputra, between Guwahati and North Guwahati also remained suspended due to the inclement weather in the state. IMD blamed the incessant rains on a low-pressure area located over the Northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast, which was expected to move northwards and concentrate into a depression over the North Bay of Bengal. They had predicted heavy rains, gusty winds and thunderstorms in several districts of Assam.
