What are the impacts of the recent rains and floods in Northeast?

Guwahati/Itanagar, May 31 (NationPress) A tragic toll of 27 fatalities, including women and children, has been reported across six northeastern states, severely impacting daily life for the second consecutive day due to moderate to heavy rainfall linked to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, officials confirmed on Saturday.

Various state officials reported that the unfortunate deaths occurred within a 24-hour timeframe, predominantly from landslides, house collapses, drowning incidents, and other disaster-related events.

Among the deceased, nine were from Arunachal Pradesh, six from Meghalaya, five each from Assam and Mizoram, and one each from Tripura and Nagaland.

In Arunachal Pradesh, a devastating landslide claimed the lives of seven individuals, including two women and two children, on National Highway-13 in the East Kameng district amid heavy rainfall.

An official reported that a vehicle carrying seven people was swept away by the landslide, plunging into a gorge between the Bana-Seppa stretch of NH-13. The Maruti car was en route to Seppa when the landslide struck on Friday night. Rescue teams later located the bodies. This route is notorious for landslides, particularly during the monsoon months from June to September.

Arunachal Pradesh's Home Minister and local MLA Mama Natung, along with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, expressed their condolences for the loss.

In another incident in the Lower Subansiri district, two laborers perished when a landslide hit a cabbage farm near the Pine Groove area along the Ziro-Kamle road.

In Assam, five individuals lost their lives in landslides within the Kamrup Metropolitan district over the past 24 hours, as persistent rains inundated six districts, displacing over 10,000 residents.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported all five deaths occurred in the Kamrup Metropolitan district.

The Regional Meteorological Department has issued a 'red alert' for districts including Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Bajali, Tamulpur, Darrang, and Udalguri.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the 'red alert' was in place for 18 districts as the state grapples with an 'abnormal situation' due to relentless rains caused by extensive cloud cover over several regions in the northeast.

Critical roads, such as the Guwahati-Shillong route, remain waterlogged, leading to significant traffic disruptions throughout the commercial city.

In Mizoram, one individual died in Serchhip district, and three Myanmar refugees lost their lives in Vaphai village, Champhai district, due to a house collapse. Additionally, a wall collapse in Thuampui, Aizawl, resulted in one death and another injury following continuous rains.

Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Lalnilawma announced plans to provide ex gratia payments of ₹4 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives due to this natural disaster.

In Meghalaya, six individuals, including an elderly woman and a minor, were reported dead in the East Khasi Hills district amid heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours.

A 50-year-old woman was killed due to a landslide in Lumkyntung village, while a 35-year-old man drowned in Pomlakrai Mawbynna as the area was inundated. Another victim was reported in Mawkynrew Block when a tree fell on a 15-year-old boy.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh for the victims' families.

In Nagaland, a rockfall incident on National Highway-29 at the Pagala Pahar stretch in Chumoukedima district led to the death of a truck driver when rocks and sludge fell onto his vehicle.

In Tripura, a 16-year-old boy named Tanmoy Debnath drowned while fishing in a pond during the heavy rains at Jirania in West Tripura district.

On Saturday, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla toured several flood-affected areas of Imphal city, inspecting various locations along the banks of the Imphal River.

Accompanied by the Chief Secretary and other senior officials, the Governor instructed them to closely monitor the river's condition and implement preventive measures.

Deputy Commissioners were directed to arrange evacuations and temporary relief for those affected. Both SDRF and NDRF units have been put on alert. Continuous rain since Thursday has caused extensive damage to homes, with nearly 100,000 people seeking refuge in relief camps across the northeastern states.

Life across all northeastern states has been disrupted due to moderate to heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides. Communication routes have been heavily impacted in many districts due to these weather events.

An advisory from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) indicated that the deep depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal, near the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts, moved northward, resulting in heavy rainfall in most northeastern states.

All northeastern states have deployed substantial contingents of national and state disaster response forces, volunteers, and security personnel to carry out rescue and relief operations.