Landslides in HP, J&K; monsoon revives in Maharashtra

Heavy rain on Thursday triggered landslides in Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, affecting vast swathes of areas, while five more fell prey to Assam floods.

Several rivers in Uttar Pradesh are flowing above the danger mark as a result of rain, while incessant showers increased water levels in Himachal Pradesh where landslides blocked several roads.

The weatherman predicted “heavy rain” in several pockets of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, east Rajasthan, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Goa and coastal Karnataka on Friday.

A report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said five persons were killed in flood-related incidents in Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Nagaon and South Salmara districts, taking the death toll in this year’s floods to 49, including eight in Guwahati. BSF officials said one of its jawans is feared drowned in an inundated border outpost in Assam’s Dhubri district. Floods have marooned more than 17.43 lakh people in 26 out of 32 districts.

The floods submerged around 77% of the Kaziranga National Park, killing some animals and forcing others to take shelter in nearby highlands.

Authorities are running 382 relief camps and distribution centres in 19 districts, where 28,937 persons are currently staying.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit districts. He was accompanied by officials of the National Disaster Response Force, Niti Aayog and National Disaster Management Authority.

Torrential rain across Nagaland led to flash floods and landslides in several areas. Yeveto village under Niuland sub-division in Dimapur district was severely affected by the flood waters of Zubza river, officials said.

Crops and plantations have been destroyed, livestock swept away and many families in the villages have been rendered homeless, they said.

Reports say landslides have affected road transport in several parts, with Dimapur-Kohima National Highway-29 suffering damage near Kiruphema village.