By Sannio C Siangshai
JOWAI: Over thirty landslides occurred in Jaintia hills on Tuesday due to incessant rainfalls heaviest that ever recorded in the State. Tongseng-Sunapur area – a landslide prone area recorded over twenty-five landslides, many of them major, in the wee hours on Tuesday.
Landslides have also accured at Kuliang and Umkiang areas.
Over 500 vehicles, both light and heavy, were stranded on a long-stretch of a section of NH-44 road between Lumshnong and Tongseng and between Rattacherra and Umkiang. Passengers of night buses bound for Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Barak Valley of Lower Assam were stuck due to landslips. Passengers informed that they have be stuck since 3 am on Tuesday and have spent the entire day without water and food.
The Public Work Department (PWD) Central Jowai Division has sent three earth movers (JCBs) to clear the road. Till filing of this report the highway could not be cleared as reports of fresh landslides are still pouring from several places along the highway.
Executive Engineer, PWD, Central Jowai Division, Sainia Kyndiah, has stated that it would take atleast two to three days to clear the highway.
“There are more than twenty-five major landslides all along the stretch of the NH-44 from Tongseng to Umkiang and it will take us two or three days to clear the road,” he said.
Besides landslides, flood water inundating the highway at Mynkre has also obstructed vehicular movement on this section of the highway. No vehicle has been able to cross the stretch of the highway and passers-by and passengers left stranded have blamed the PWD for not construction a cross drain at the spot.
Commuters have not only blamed the road management authority, but also pinned the blame on the State Government for not taking any initiative to help them.
“We are going to die of starvartion if immediate help is not provided to us by the State Government,” said a government offficer, A Das, of Karimganj, Assam.
“We have tried our best to prevent landslides from occurring in the entire area but due to lack of funds, our Department is helpless,” said the Executive Engineer, PWD, Central Division, while adding that they have several times sent a proposal requesting for specific sanction but both the Central and the State governments have ignored their proposals.
Landslide claims one life
A tea stall at Leshka was suddenly covered by boulders and mud claiming the life of a Homeguard personnel working as a security guard at the Leshka Hydel Project site.
The incident took place just after midnight at around 12:30 am on Tuesday. The tea-stall belongs to one lady, Muksor, while the security guard has been identified as Juh-hi Shylla (20) of Kyndongtuber. Another tea stall owned by one Mulat Pamthied was also destroyed by a high-velocity wind.
The victim’s frineds informed that when a landslide hit the tea stall, Shylla got stuck when a boulder crushed one of his hands. After his fellow homeguards and friends were informed they came to his rescue but while attempting to rescue him, another major landslide occurred at the same spot and Shylla was killed instantly.
In another incident, a house of one Graham Lyngdoh at Tuberkmai Shnong was also washed away by a landslide.
Star Cement submerged
The incessant rainfall since Monday has taken its toll on the Star Cement factory located at Lumshnong which has submerged under water leading to damage of several equipments particularly the Laboratory at the Central Control Room. The total damage could not be assessed as clearing of mud and slush is still on.
According to the Assistant Vice President, SP Shrimali, the cement plant had to be closed down in order to prevent further damage to the machines.
Briefing media persons, Shrimali informed that roads, side drains and all office rooms on the first floor was filled with water damaging several equipments including X-ray analysers, water supply pumps, elevators and others forcing the plant to be closed.
Heaviest rainfall ever recorded
The incessant rainfall that has hit Jaintia hills since Monday and Tuesday has been recorded as the heaviest ever in the last 40 to 45 years.
Middle-aged residents informed that they have never witnessed such rainfall in their entire lives.
According to the Star Cement Deputy Manager and Health Safety, Jitendra Kr Rout, in the last three days rainfall in the area has been measured at 1080 mm.
“From Sunday 8 am till Monday 8 am we recorded 178 mm of rainfall. From Monday 8 am till Tuesday 8 am the amount of rainfall recorded was 686 mm while from Tuesday 8 am till 3 pm we have recorded 226 mm of rainfall,” Rout said, while adding that the total rainfall for the three days stood at 1080 mm.