SHILLONG: Monsoon this year, apparently, has not been kind to Meghalaya with the state witnessing incessant downpour over the past couple of weeks unleashing floods and landslides.
A mass chunk of the population has been affected due to natural calamities such as flash floods, heavy rainfall, landslides et al, this month. While properties have been damaged, one person as well as several animals have lost their lives.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla, on Thursday, informed that a total of 63 villages with a population of 13,058 have been affected between July 1 and 16, as per the natural calamities report.
“According to the report, one person has died while a total of 168 houses have been damaged, either partially or fully. Also, 224 animals have lost their lives and 65.5 hectares of crop area has been affected,” the minister.
In this regard, the minister said that the flood situation this year is quite serious in the state, especially in Garo Hills.
Elaborating further on the Garo Hills flood scenario, Rajabala MLA, in a separate statement, said that the entire Selsella, Demdema and Tikrikilla C&RD blocks in west Garo Hills have been severely affected due to devastating flood.
In contrast with the report, he informed that around 50,000 households in the entire area are affected badly.
“Standing crops like shally paddy, jute, maize, are affected, even the fish farmers are in trouble,” the MLA said in the statement.
He further said that Bhaitbari PHC, Rajabala Police Outpost, schools and even PMGSY roads are submerged in flood.
Seeking additional relief for the affected people, he said that the one-week relief announced by the DC is “not enough”.
“The DC has announced one-week relief for the public, but that’s not enough because they have limited economic activities,” the MLA said adding that the relief should be given for at least one month to support the people’s livelihood.
Zaman said that people took shelter in the relief camps in the raised areas around AMPT road.
With regard to heavy floods in the plain belts of Garo Hills, the Disaster Management Minister said that the emergency teams of the department including the SDRF can jump in for relief operation and if needed, the government can even take the assistance of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
As per the report, a population of 10,000 in six villages of South West Khasi Hills was affected due to landslides.
Similarly, 1,511 people were affected in 19 villages of South West Garo Hills due to flash flood and heavy rain, the report added.
