Assam flood: Death toll rises to 8, rail connectivity snapped with rest of Northeast

With the disruption in road and rail connectivity, air fare has shot up

Flood situation in central and South Assam remained grim on Tuesday as three more deaths were reported from Cachar district taking the death toll in flood and landslide since Friday to eight.

As floodwater and landslides triggered by heavy rains created breach in railway tracks and roads, rail communication with central, Southern Assam districts and Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura remained snapped on Tuesday. Rail tracks in many stretches remained under water while flood water, mud was still inside stations.

Sabyasachi De, the chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway headquarters in Guwahati said that landslides in more than 50 places in the Lumding-Badarpur railway section, under which the area falls, have completely snapped the rail connectivity since Saturday.

Nearly 2,400 railway passengers, who remained stranded in New Haflong and Ditokcherra stations in Dima Hasao after their trains got stuck in flood, have been rescued by IAF helicopter and other rescue agencies.

"We want to start the restoration work but inclement weather coupled with the difficult terrain is affecting the work. Actual assessment of damage can be ascertained only after the water level recedes. The restoration work will need huge quantity of materials, manpower and machines. Movement of heavy machineries and materials is very difficult due to frequent breaches in portions connecting road with railway lines owing to the landslides," De said.

Heavy rains were reported from many parts of Assam since Thursday following the cyclone in Bay of Bengal. As heavy rains continued, water and mud coming down the hills in Dima Hasao district triggered landslides in the roads and rail tracks connecting Dima Hasao with southern Assam and rest of the Northeast. The Northeastern states have witnessed excess rainfall between May 1 and 16.

Cachar deputy commissioner, Jalli Keerti said entire Barak Valley in South Assam (Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts) has remained cut-off from rest of Assam due to the landslides. Efforts were under way to clear the road via Jowai in Meghalaya, which also got snapped due to landslides.

Sanjoy Neil Shaw of Regional Meterological Centre in Guwahati said that weather forecast suggested that rains are likely to continue across the Northeast till May 21. Situation in Arunachal Pradesh remained serious where five people died in landslide on Sunday. Manipur and Nagaland also issued warning as heavy rains lashed the two states.