Unrelenting rains continue to wreak havoc across NE region

From Assam, Tripura to Arunachal Pradesh over 35 people have died across several states as the North East continues to reel under heavy rainfall battering the region with floods and landslides.
The flood situation in Assam was grim on Sunday as 10 major rivers were flowing above the danger level and 78,000 people affected by the deluge in more than 15 districts.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to the chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the governor of Manipur in the wake of heavy rains in their states and assured them of all possible help to tackle the situation. The home minister said that the Modi government stands like a rock in support of the people of the Northeast.
As on Sunday 11 people have died in floods and landslides in the state so far, which has affected over 78,000 residents in more than 15 districts, officials said. Road transport, train movement and ferry services were also affected by flood and landslides. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an ‘orange bulletin’ for the state in view of the severe flood situation as 10 major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, were flowing above the danger level.
Several trains have also been cancelled due to water flowing over the tracks, an official said. Heavy rain coupled with water flowing down from neighbouring Meghalaya has aggravated the situation in the area, they said.
Arunachal Pradesh: Fourteen people trapped in the swollen Bomjir river on the Assam-Arunachal border were rescued by Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel on Sunday, an official said.
“In a daring rescue operation, 14 persons trapped in the swollen Bomjir river were rescued by an IAF helicopter,” Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul said. (Read more on p-4)
So far seven people have died in Arunachal Pradesh after a devastating landslide on National Highway 13 sent a vehicle plunging into a deep gorge between Bana and Seppa in East Kameng district late Friday night.
In another incident linked to the heavy rains, two more people were killed in a landslide in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, adding to the tragedy unfolding across the state.
Sikkim: In Sikkim, one person was killed, two injured, and eight others went missing when a vehicle in which 11 tourists were travelling plunged into the Teesta river in Mangan district on Thursday. While two passengers were rescued that night, the remaining nine — including the driver — are still unaccounted for. Nearly 1,500 tourists were stranded in various parts of north Sikkim on Saturday as the main road was blocked due to landslides, officials said.
Manipur: In view of the incessant rain and flood situation, Manipur government has extended summer holiday in all schools in flood affected areas– Imphal East, Imphal West and Senapati sub-division.
The flood and landslide have affected 1,9,811 people and over 800 houses damaged due to flood and landslides in Manipur, according to reports received till Sunday evening.
Several localities of the state’s capital Imphal and many parts of Imphal East district have been inundated after a swollen river breached embankments and overflowed in Khurai, Heingang and Checkon areas, officials said.
Manipur Governor AK Bhalla visited several inundated areas of Imphal town even as the army and Assam Rifles personnel rescued nearly 800 people from submerged localities in Imphal East, the worst-affected district, they said. Indian Army and Assam Rifles continued extensive flood rescue operations across Imphal
Tripura: Meanwhile, a man died after he fell into a manhole as incessant rain caused massive inundation across Tripura with the state’s capital Agartala witnessing a record rainfall of around 200 mm in just three hours, officials said on Sunday. Normal life was affected as overnight rain battered the city, with people seen wading through knee-deep waters in front of chief minister ManikSaha’s residence.
Saha on Sunday said around 1,300 families have taken shelter in camps in West Tripura district due to incessant rainfall in the past 48 hours.
Except for West Tripura, the overall situation in the remaining seven districts appears “near normal”, even as many low-lying areas have been inundated due to continuous downpours, the officials said.