12000 Impacted 19 Dead as Rain Causes Landslides and Floods Throughout the Northeast

Deadly Landslides, Flash Floods Paralyze Northeast India Amid Relentless Rains and Widespread Damage

Over the past three days incessant rainfall has caused a series of deadly landslides, flash floods and widespread devastation across the northeastern states of India leaving at least 19 people dead, dozens feared trapped and over 12000 affected. The worst affected states are Mizoram Assam, Manipur Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. Thousands of people are now homeless, roads have been washed away and homes have been destroyed. Rescue efforts are being carried out in several locations but they have been seriously impeded by ongoing intense rain and infrastructure damage. In anticipation of more rain in the days ahead the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alerts for a number of states in the northeast.

Mizoram

Following a massive landslide that destroyed three buildings in Lawngtlai town in southern Mizoram late Friday night due to unrelenting rainfall at least eight people are feared trapped according to an officer from the Lawngtlai deputy commissioners office.

Rescue operations hindered by persistent rain and inadequate equipment are in progress and two injured people have been extracted from the wreckage thus far. Stationed in the Thingkah village close to Lawngtlai the 3rd Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police is on their way to help with the rescue. 

The collapsed buildings in Chanmary, the commercial center of Lawngtlai were used for both residential and commercial purposes when the landslide occurred. A hotel reportedly housing Myanmarese refugees occupied one floor. 

People reported hearing cries for assistance from underneath the debris. According to the local police, heavy rains are still making it difficult to clear debris from the area even though the Young Lai Association (YLA) is still leading rescue efforts. About fifteen hotel staff members were able to flee in time during the loud rumble that preceded the landslide. The removal of the debris has been extremely difficult due to the lack of rescue machinery and equipment. However YLA leader in Lawngtlai Elvis Lalthangzuala stated that his organization’s volunteers are working in tandem with the police to try to reach the people who are trapped. 

Lawngtlai is cut off from Siaha the southernmost district of Mizoram by the landslide that blocked the National Highway-54. 

Assam

According to the Assam state disaster management authority (ASDMA) three days of intense rain caused landslides in the Kamrup Metro district of Assam that killed at least five people and floods affected more than 12000 people in five districts. 

More than 10000 people in Guwahati and Silchar are impacted by urban floods which are defined as the swift rise of floodwaters in urban areas as a result of limited infiltration and heavy rainfall events. The displaced now have access to a number of relief camps. According to Kamrup Kamrup Metro and Cachar the urban flood has impacted five revenue circles across three districts. 10150 people have been impacted and two camps for relief have been set up. Five landslide-related fatalities have been reported in the Kamrup Metro district in the past 24 hours according to an official. 

A ring bandh was breached by water in Lakhimpur flooding a sizable area. Rescue operations have been carried out by disaster response forces such as the national disaster response force (NDRF) and the state disaster response force (SDRF). 

In the last 24 hours Guwahati and the surrounding areas have received 90 to 134 mm of rainfall according to IMD reports and more intense rain is expected. 

One of the main causes of this according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is the intense rainfall in the Meghalayan hills which border Assam. He also stated that he would soon meet with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to talk about the matter. 

Given the heavy rains, urban flooding and the weather forecast, the state government urged private educational institutions to take the necessary precautions. On Saturday the government also made the decision to grant the majority of its workers special casual leave. 

Arunachal Pradesh

Flash floods are still ravaging parts of Arunachal Pradesh after days of nonstop rain killing at least nine people in separate landslides.

Late Thursday evening a huge landslide on the Bana-Seppa section of National Highway 13 in the East Kameng district washed away seven peoples vehicles killing them as they traveled to Seppa. According to an officer, rescue crews retrieved all seven bodies early on Friday morning. 

The terrible news of seven people dying in a landslide between Bana and Seppa on NH-13 is heartbreaking. State home minister Mama Natung expressed her sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased during this trying time. He advised people not to travel at night in monsoon-season locations that are vulnerable to landslides. 

A landslide near the Pine Grove area on the Ziro-Kamle road in Lower Subansiri district meanwhile claimed the lives of two laborers and saved another two. 

Over 100 families were impacted by flash floods caused by heavy rainfall in the Upper Subansiri district. A number of residential areas were inundated when the Sigin River overflowed due to the constant downpours. Sign-I Sign-II Sign-III Sinyik Colony Polo Colony Tikre Colony and the area surrounding the burial ground are among the areas most severely affected. 

The district government has released a warning asking residents to exercise caution and stay away from low-lying areas while the heavy rains continue. 

 With heavy rain expected to persist through May 31 the IMD has issued a red alert for Arunachal Pradesh. It is anticipated that the state will see widespread rains during the wet spell which will last from June 1 to June 5. In addition the IMD has warned of a moderate to high risk of flash floods over the next 24 hours in a number of districts including East Kameng East Siang Dibang Valley and West Kameng.

Residents have been advised by authorities to exercise caution and refrain from traveling for non-essential reasons especially if they reside in low-lying and landslide-prone areas. Disaster response teams have been put on high alert and local authorities are keeping a careful eye on how things are developing. 

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Tripura

The State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) reported on Saturday that heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over the past two days have hit Tripura resulting in a person drowning in Jirania and more than 200 people being left homeless. 

Four relief camps housed about 207 people from 57 families after at least 106 houses were damaged. 

According to the most recent inputs the critical level of the Howrah River is 10 meters but last evening the water level at Agartala beneath the Jawahar bridge increased to 10 points one meter. Right now all of the rivers are below the critical level. To closely monitor water levels in real time we are working with the central water commission and the water resource department, an SEOC official stated. 

Roads in the districts of Jirania and Mohanpur in West Tripura Jampuijala in Sepahijala Longtharai Valley in Dhalai and portions of Gomati and South Tripura were blocked by fallen trees. According to reports some roads have been cleared but further information is still pending.

Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) and squally winds with 40-50 km/h gusts to 60 km/h were forecast by the IMD for a few locations in the states remaining districts today. 

All district magistrates were advised by the Tripura government on Wednesday to start making preparations in advance of any potential natural disaster brought on by the low-pressure area formed over the Northwest Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha. It was requested that all district magistrates adhere to the IMDs recommendations which included regularly evaluating the situation maintaining the NDRF SDRF Tripura State rifles (TSR) fire and emergency services trained volunteers and quick response teams (QRT) on alert and determining areas where personnel might need to be deployed right away. 

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Manipur

Other significant rivers including the Nambul Iril and Nambol have water levels that are at warning levels after four days of nonstop rain. The Imphal River overflowed on Saturday morning flooding numerous localities in Manipur Imphal East district including homes and workplaces. 

Widespread light to moderate rainfall is expected to persist over Manipur according to the IMDs red alert. 

Flooding also forced the evacuation of numerous families living along the Senapati river bank including Viewland Colony in Senapati district headquarters which is 60 km north of Imphal. 

The Imphal Rivers riverbanks at Khonghampat Lamlong to Telepati the Singjamei area etc. have been overflowing or cracking according to officials standing at the water resource department’s main flood control room.

On Friday alone the Imphal West district recorded a record 197.8 mm of rainfall causing flash flooding in several low-lying areas. The heavy rain is caused by a depression over Bangladesh that is gradually moving northeast according to the regional MET center in Guwahati. Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is predicted in certain areas of the five northeastern states along with squally winds that can reach 40 to 60 km/h. The district of Imphal West received the most rainfall of any area on Friday with 197.8 mm falling on it compared to 47.4 mm on Thursday. The daily weather reports from the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change that were made public on Friday night showed that Tamenglong (55.4 mm) Senapati (75.8 mm) and Tengnoupal (115 mm) were in order of precedence over Imphal West. According to the Saturday morning reports from the Meteorological Centre Imphal Kamjong received the most rainfall (106 mm) followed by Ukhrul (83.5 mm) Senapati (52.1 mm) and Tamenglong (50.8 mm). 

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