From Our Correspondent
TURA, Oct 4: Incessant rains over the past few days combined with a sudden burst since late Thursday night left 3 persons dead and another 4 with injuries while most of Garo Hills scurried for cover. The number of deaths could increase further as information is awaited from the South Garo Hills region where Gasuapara has been extremely hard hit.
While rain has been a constant in all districts, the worst affected have been the districts of South, West and South West Garo Hills.
The three deceased have been identified as Santa N Marak, Mairdo P Marak and Sarika M Marak, all from Dalu C&RD Block.
Meanwhile two persons suffered mild injuries from mud-slips while two others suffered major injuries and are currently being treated at the Tura Civil Hospital and the Dalu CHC.
Garo Hills woke up on Friday morning to news of bridges being washed away, mud-slips, landslides, floods as well as no network connectivity. The sudden spurt in rainfall left at least three districts in a frenetic mood, with the administrations utilizing all available resources to assess the damage as well as ensure safety and security of those affected.
West Garo Hills
The worst affected as of now has been parts of West Garo Hills especially Dalu C&RD Block where 3 people were killed from flood related incidents. A timber bridge connecting Dalu to the village of Kujikura was washed away leaving the area completely cut off.
Meanwhile even in the town of Tura, major land slips were seen which left 3 people with injuries from land slips. Even the area near Circuit House had a land slip which saw at least one person narrowly escape after a mud-slip fell. The car he was sitting in though suffered damage.
Talking about the situation, the DC of WGH, Jagdish Chelani informed that one village in Dalu was completely inundated and residents have been shifted to relief centres.
“Currently we are issuing GR for 3000 people for two days which includes ration as well as other required materials. As many lives broken wires are still lying around, electricity has been disconnected in the Dalu area. Due to landslips there is no network connectivity. However roadside debris has been cleared which has allowed for travel to take place,” informed the DC.
He added that in the town of Tura which also saw landslips in many areas is currently clear after rains relented towards the afternoon.
“We have the disaster management team as well as one section of the NDRF in the district and on the ground and rescue and relief operations will restart once again tomorrow. We anticipate more rains so more relief and rescue centres have been identified even in the town of Tura where people can be shifted to on short notice. 160 tarpaulin sheets have been distributed in Tura to those who have been affected,” he added.
Incessant rains pounded parts of WGH, SGH and SWGH for close to 16 hours which led to the current situation.
The DC added that with connectivity to SGH being affected, their team is also helping in relief and rescue efforts in SGH’s Gasuapara where reports indicate there could be casualties.
South Garo Hills
In terms of infrastructure development, the district is the worst in the entire state and possibly the country and the rains caused further devastation. As per initial reports, the district is in very bad shape following the rains with many areas facing the threat of floods. The Simsang river, which snakes through the entire district, was flowing extremely close to the danger mark with the water level almost reaching the main Baghmara Bridge.
What has worsened the situation is the lack of network connectivity in many parts. What the lack of communication has meant is that many parts are yet to report the damage that has been caused – with the likelihood that lives could have been lost but not reported as yet. A clearer picture will emerge by Saturday morning.
“We are still awaiting reports from field officers but the lack of network connectivity has meant that they haven’t been able to report back. A clearer picture will emerge by tomorrow once they get back. We have deployed disaster relief personnel as well as asked for relief stock just in case it is required. The lack of network connectivity has been a major hindrance to our efforts as of now,” informed the SGH DC.
Earlier a bridge on the border road near Dumnikura was washed away leaving the border road completely disconnected. While exact details are yet to be provided but the NH – 62 (new NH 217B) between Baghmara to Karonggre in WGH is said to also out of commission. However the section connecting Baghmara to Nongalbibra remained open for travel.
South West Garo Hills
Many places went under flood water by the afternoon with schools remaining shut owing to the rising waters. Mud-slips and landslides were prominent in the district while electric poles and lines were affected. Power was restored in most places by the afternoon. An assessment of the damage caused by the deluge is currently being undertaken.
By the afternoon most parts of the Rerapara and Zikzak C&RD Blocks were under flood water. The villages of Garobadha, Mellim and even Mahendraganj were under water. However overall, there was not much damage reported.
“Thankfully there was no major damage done in our district. Some houses were under water due to the flash floods and a few roads were blocked but these were cleared as soon as the rains relented. We have been monitoring the situation closely,” informed DC in-charge, Regina Marak.
East Garo Hills and North Garo Hills
These districts remained mostly incident-free though the district administrations informed that the situation was being monitored. In EGH, the Simsang river continued to flow close to the danger mark, though with more rains forecast, the situation could turn bad.
In NGH, nothing untoward was reported.