GUWAHATI, May 31: Five persons were killed in landslides in Assam in the last 24 hours as incessant rain led to floods in six districts, affecting over 10,000 people, an official bulletin said on Saturday.
Three districts in the western part of the state remained on ‘red alert’ and eight more were on ‘orange alert’, as per Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) data, while rainwaters from upstream areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya aggravated the flood situation in the state.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said all five deaths have been reported from the Kamrup Metropolitan district.
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Urban Affairs minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had on Friday said that three members of a family, a mother-daughter duo and a niece, were killed in a landslide in Bonda area on the outskirts of Guwahati.
He had said that several agencies were working to provide relief to affected people as massive waterlogging was reported from most localities in the city on Friday.
Baruah inspected the situation in different parts of the city during the day to assess the prevailing situation and review the government’s emergency response measures.
Video of a person being taken for the last rites on a bamboo shaft from his residence amidst knee-deep waters from Rukminigaon area of the city led to sharp criticism among the citizens of the government’s flood control measures.
The local resident had reportedly died in his house and the family had to arrange for a bamboo shaft to take the body out to a dry place for it to be taken to the cremation ground.
Several localities of the city remained submerged for the second day with different rescue agencies taking people to safer places as residents abandoned their waterlogged houses with no water or power supply.
The ASDMA bulletin said floods have been reported in six districts, with five revenue circles of Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup and Cachar reeling under ‘urban floods’.
Floods have also been reported in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Golaghat, impacting eight revenue circles in these three districts.
A total of 10,150 people have been affected by ‘urban floods’, with two camps and one relief distribution centre being opened.
Nearly 2,000 people have been affected by floods in the other three districts, though no camps or relief distribution centres are operational in the flood-hit urban areas till now.
One ring ‘bandh’ (a type of dyke) has been breached under the North Lakhimpur revenue circle.
NDRF and SDRF personnel have been evacuating people in different affected parts, the bulletin added.
Almost all the major rivers across the state were on a ‘rising’ water level trend, as per ASDMA information.
The Brahmaputra was flowing near the danger level in Dibrugarh, Ranganadi in Lakhimpur, Dhansiri in Numaligarh, Jia Bharali in Sonitpur, Kopili in Kampur and Beki in Barpeta.
As per the latest RMC data, Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon have ‘red alert’ issued, while the districts of South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta, Bajali, Dima Hasao and Cachar are on ‘orange alert’.
‘Red alert’ implies ‘warning/take action’, and the districts with such a warning may witness heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places, with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places, and squally winds with speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph.
An ‘orange alert’ asks people to be ‘alert/be prepared to take action’ for thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with gusty wind reaching wind speed 30 to 40 kmph with heavy to very heavy rain very likely at isolated places.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Friday that the state was facing an ‘abnormal situation’ due to incessant downpours caused by massive cloud cover over several parts of the Northeast.
Heavy rainfall has also been recorded in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, aggravating the situation in Assam, especially in Guwahati, which has been hit by massive waterlogging, he said.
A special casual leave was announced for government employees of Kamrup and Kamrup Metropolitan districts on Saturday, who have to commute some distance to reach their offices.
Educational institutions have also been closed in the two districts on Saturday.
Flight services at Guwahati airport were affected on Friday due to heavy rain and gusty winds, the officials said. (PTI)
