Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills flood affected more than 1 lakh people

Tura, July 15: Incessant rain across Meghalaya for the last seven days and rising waters of two rivers flooded the plains of West Garo Hills district, affecting at least 1.14 lakh people, officials said on Monday.

A total of 57,700 people, residents of 50 villages in Demdema block and over 66,400, residents of 104 villages in Selsella block have been affected due to the floods, they said.

Rising waters of the Brahmaputra and the Jinjiram rivers, both flowing from Assam, submerged the low-lying areas of the district, an official said. Meanwhile, the low-lying areas of the state's capital city Shillong were also flooded.

"A flood-like situation was created in the low-lying areas of the city," the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, M W Nongbri," said. The Meghalaya government on Sunday announced seven days of Gratuitous Relief (GR) for the flood-affected people of West Garo Hills district, an official said.

Efforts are on to evacuate the flood victims and take them to safer locations, the official said. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma could conduct an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas on Sunday due to inclement weather, the MLA of Phulbari, S G Esmatur Mominin, said. "We are continuously monitoring the situation and will keep the people informed if the situation worsens," said the MLA.

"We have seen the effect of the flood on the people and have come to help them at this time," the MLA of Selsella, F C A Sangma, said. She had cancelled a programme in Kolkata and reached her constituency on Sunday morning to take stock of the situation.

Arrangements were being made to provide drinking water and other relief materials, the official said.