Rains continue unabated in Garo Hills, Tura-Nongstoin and Siju-Baghmara roads blocked

TURA: Barring a brief respite on Wednesday afternoon torrential rains returned to lash Garo Hills all throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning causing further damage to road structure in some of the vulnerable sectors of Garo Hills.

While the water levels have since receded in Baghmara market which was submerged on Wednesday, fresh landslides have caused road communication to snap in the South Garo Hills district.

The national highway connecting Williamnagar to Baghmara via Nangalbibra and Siju was once again cut off on Thursday morning following another landslide in the Rewak area. Road opening parties of the PWD had cleared one area of landslides on Wednesday afternoon but the continuous rainfall had led to more loose earth giving way.

While the road from Tura to Baghmara has been open to traffic, commuters are facing difficulties trying to negotiate the landslide damaged portion from Tura towards Dalu area of West Garo Hills. A large portion of the highway has been washed away due to the torrential rains at 8^th mile, near Kherapara, prompting authorities to restrict movement of heavy vehicles across.

Many travellers using the Shillong to Tura highway via Nongstoin had to turn back on Wednesday and Thursday following a landslide in the Riangdo area, ahead of Shallang.

“We were coming from Shillong and heading to Williamnagar but could not go beyond Nongstoin due to the landslide. We had to take an alternate road that brought us to Rani near Guwahati,” informed some of the tired travellers.

Apart from landslides and inundation of plain areas, no major damage or loss of life has been reported from any part of the region ever since the rains lashed the region beginning Monday night.