Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in Assam; Government issues alert

, Sept 22: Incessant rains which lashed Guwahati since last two days has thrown life out of gear in the city. The rains have led to flooding in low lying areas.

After 40-hours of incessant rainfall, the city has been facing massive power cuts, said a NDTV report. The government has ordered all schools in the city to remain shut till further notice.

Reportedly, landslides have also been reported in many parts of the state.Bharalu river which flows through the city is flowing above the danger level, said a Zee report.

The government has asked people residing in the landslide-prone hilly areas of the city to move to safer places.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed the district administration to take all measures to reach out to people. Control rooms are being set up at several parts of the state.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been kept on standby in Guwahati. "Till now there is no loss of life. We are monitoring the situation very closely," said M Angamuthu, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro District, as quoted by NDTV report.

For assistance the phone numbers are 0361-2733052; 0361-2237042 and 8811007000, the CM's office spokesman said.

Last week, severe floods hit Srinagar and Kashmir valley, killing at least 280 people and leaving many more homeless.

More rains expected

Forecasting no let up in the rainfall in the next two days, the MeT office here said the south-west monsoon has been active over Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya since yesterday.

Light to heavy rain have occurred in several areas in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura since yesterday, it said.

The well marked low pressure area in the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of the gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, north coastal Andhra Pradesh and west central Bay of Bengal lay over Odisha and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand last evening, it said.

The low pressure now lies over the gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand and Odisha, the weather office said, adding, the western end of the axis of monsoon trough at mean sea level runs close to the foot hills of the Himalayas and the eastern part of it passes through Bareilly, Varanasi, Ranchi, centre of well marked low pressure area and thence southeastwards to the central Bay of Bengal.

Under the impact, heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy falls would occur at isolated places in Assam and Meghalaya and heavy to very heavy rain in Arunachal Pradesh today, the weatherman said.

The local forecast for Guwahati and its neighbourhood until tomorrow is cloudy sky and continuous light to moderate rain with heavy to very heavy rain at times.

Oneindia News

(With PTI inputs)