Flood loss calculates Rs 22 crore in Tripura

Agartala, July 29: Tripura has calculated a loss of about Rs 22 crore in flash floods, while environment activists raise voice for protection of wetlands and reorientation of drainage system to save the urban dwellers.

According to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, almost 80 per cent of standing crops in South Tripura and few parts of West Tripura district had been damaged severely and more than 3000 people displaced by the floods.

Landslides were triggered by monsoon rains in few places in both NH44 and inter-district roads in south Tripura.

"The drainage system in Agartala is need to be strengthen further though it functioned better than previous year and I welcome public suggestions on the issue," Mr Sarkar said.

According to the record in Agrometorological Advisory Wing of ICAR, Tripura, Agartala and it's peripheral areas had received about 342.8 mm rainfall between July 25 and 27 morning out of which about 205 mm rainfall was recorded only on July 26, which is second highest in this year.

The record shows, after one and half decades, the city had received a heavy pre-monsoon shower this year on April 11 and about 269 mm rainfall was recorded. However, Agartala and suburbs have already recorded 2411 mm rainfall so far, which is about 5 per cent more than the average annual rainfall.

Explaining the discontent of monsoon shower this year, ARPAN, a group of environment activists of the state said paucity of wetland and natural water reservoirs along with narrowing of drainage especially in Agartala and sub-divisional towns aggravated the situation of water logging in the low-lying areas.

ARPAN activists stated that push factors of the population centrifuging towards towns caused pressure on wetland, while unplanned growth of the city obstructed natural drainage.

"Among the odds and ends reason of detoriation, the heightening of roads, illegal encroachment of narrow drains and littering of non-degradable items in the sewage links increases the menace of water logging in the towns," ARPAN official Dr Arjun Kr De.

He identified, the awareness gap, lack of appropriate policy and pell-mell engineering application of wetland uses as well as very little institutional support in favour of wetland management and rainwater harvesting are the root causes of suffering of the city dwellers.

UNI