Silchar: Incessant rainfall and the ensuing flash floods over the past few days has severely impacted residents of Barak Valley in Assam, with many homes damaged and several trees uprooted.
Katigorah in the Cachar district is one of the worst affected, with reports of extensive damage in the past 48 hours. On Friday evening, a BSF camp in Balicherra near the India-Bangladesh international border in Katigorah was damaged because of a rainstorm accompanied by gusty winds. Areas along the Assam-Meghalaya border, including Malidahar, Chandipur and Mahadebpur were also affected.
The villages in Katigorah facing flash floods are Kalain, Dhumkar, Saligram and Maugram, among others. A 150-year-old bridge over a river in the Kalaincherra area has also been damaged. Katigorah Congress MLA Khalil Uddin Mazumder and Katigorah circle officer A. Minarva Devi inspected the constituency on Friday and took stock of the situation in the wake of the artificial floods.
Katigorah circle officer A. Minarva Devi told EastMojo on Saturday that heavy rainfall has affected a few areas in the constituency including Kalain and Jellalpore (Part-II). “We are visiting the affected areas to assess the damage,” she said.
As per information from the Cachar district administration, a cyclone took place around 3:30 pm on Friday and caused severe damage in areas including Mahadebpur GP, Jellalpore GP, Kushiarkul GP and Leverputa GP in Katigorah. Tarpaulins were distributed among people whose houses were damaged.
Vehicular movement on National Highway-6 (Assam-Meghalaya road), which is considered the connectivity lifeline for Barak Valley, has been affected because of landslides in many areas. Water from the hills is flooding roads, making it difficult and risky for vehicles to ply through. Excavators and other machines have been pressed into service.
At least five portions of the NH-6 have been made single-lane routes to prevent mishaps. M Barbhuiya, a driver by profession who came to Katigorah from Shillong on Friday, said the Assam-Meghalaya road was in a “dangerous” condition. In many areas, the road was submerged under muddy waters. Minor landslips were happening now and then because of torrential rainfall and strong winds, Barbhuiya said.
In Silchar, roads in various areas including Tarapur, Ambikapatty, Shillongpatty, Sonai Road and Nagatilla among others remained inundated for hours on Saturday following incessant rains. As per data, the Barak river’s water level at Annapurna Ghat was 19.75 m at 1 pm on Saturday, whereas its danger level is 19.83m.
In the Hailakandi district, areas like Lala (under Katlicherra assembly constituency) and Bokrihawor (under Algapur assembly constituency) along with some parts of Hailakandi town have been affected due to inclement weather.
In the Karimganj district, some areas under the Patharkandi assembly constituency have been badly affected. The places are Asaighat, Dengarbond, Chandkhira, Sadhukuti and Hatikhira among others.
As per a weather bulletin issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati on Saturday, rainfall and thundershowers are very likely to occur in Cachar district / Barak Valley at least till May 17 (Tuesday).
On Friday, the Centre released an amount of Rs. 125 crore from the Flood Control Fund to Assam for the current fiscal. Minister for water resources Pijush Hazarika met the Union minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on Friday and expressed his thankfulness for the financial assistance.
