Cloudburst; Heavy rain in Assam and Meghalaya causes floods

[BlueBee]

Over ten people were believed to have died in Goalpara district when cloudburst took place in Garo hills of Meghalaya on Monday. The cloudburst triggered devastating flood in the lower Assam districts leaving over ten people dead in the morning beside rendering lakhs of people homeless forcing the government to deploy NDRF in relief and rescue operations. Roads and bridges in many places were washed away from the strong flood waves. The death toll is likely to go up as more and more areas have come under the surging areas. Marooned people are being shifted to higher ground. In Goalpara district, the army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were assisting the district administration in rescuing the over 50,000 people marooned in 100 villages due to the deluge in Krishnai, Dudhnoi and Bolbola areas, district Deputy Commissioner (DC) Preetam Saikia told PTI. The NH-37 was overrun by the flood waters that were flowing above the tin roofed and thatch houses in many areas in Goalpara district converting huge tracks of human habitation and farmland with standing crops into a vast body of water, Saikia said. Incessant rain waters in the district and neighbouring Garo hills was causing water to also overrun the NH-31 halting movement of traffic, they said. Stating that more than one lakh people were affected in the Dhubri district, they said Deputy commissioner Kumud Chandra Kalita has ordered halting of ferry boat services on the rising Brahmaputra. Hatsingimari and Mancachar were the worst-hit with the BSF, NDRF and SDRF personnel evacuating over 5,000 marooned people there to safer places, Chief Minister's Office (CMO) spokesman said. In severely water-logged Guwahati, which is under Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, the body of a person was recovered from Bharalu river flowing through the city, while a 71-year old man identified as Ashib Bhattacharjee was electrocuted in waterlogged Netaji Road in Lalganesh area here, officials said. In view of the worsening flood situation in Dhubri and Goalpara districts, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today directed Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla and administration of both the districts to take all possible measures to rescue the marooned and provide relief and rehabilitation to the flood-hit people.

-Various sources