Flood situation in Northeast deteriorating, Nagaland CM seeks immediate central assistance

The flood situation in northeastern India on Thursday deteriorated sharply as the deluge spread to eight districts of Assam affecting more than one lakh people, while Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio sought immediate central assistance to tide over the crisis in his state.

Three more people were reported dead in Assam, taking the death toll in the state to 41, officials said in Guwahati.

The flood situation remained grim as the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries were flowing above the danger mark, Assam Disaster Management Authority said. More than 5,000 hectares of agricultural land have been inundated.

There were reports of embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure being damaged in Lakhimpur, Kamrup Metropolitan, Sivasagar and Sonitpur districts, it said.

Nagaland Chief Minister Rio urged the prime minister to grant immediate assistance to his state to battle the problems generated by the incessant rainfall hammering the past for a few weeks.

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In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, Rio said it was becoming difficult for his administration to maintain adequate supply of essential commodities, including petroleum products, in district headquarters as stocks have depleted and connectivity via land route was severed at some places.

The weather department has forecast more rainfall in most parts of the northeastern region during the next 24 hours.

It has said that rainfall is also likely in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and a few places in Odisha.

In Uttar Pradesh, at least 17 people have died in rain-related incidents in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 165 since July 1, officials said in Lucknow on Thursday.

The Met office in Lucknow said the Southwest Monsoon has been active over eastern Uttar Pradesh, which might result in moderate rain/thundershowers at most places until Friday.

Northwards to Delhi, the old Yamuna bridge, which connects the national capital with Uttar Pradesh, was reopened for vehicular movement today after the water level of the river began receding. The bridge had remained shut for four days as the water level rose above the danger mark.

The Southwest Monsoon has remained less active in Himachal Pradesh. However, the state government said today it will use helicopters to supply ration and other essential commodities to Bara Bhangal village, around 136 km away from Shimla. Heavy rainfall has damaged the pathway to the village in the rain-hit Kangra district.

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In case helicopters are unable to fly due to bad weather, essential items will be supplied through mule route from Patlikuhal, Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said.

The maximum temperature in Punjab and Haryana were recorded above the normal levels. Chandigarh, the joint capital of both states, recorded a maximum temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius, a meteorological department report stated.

The Met department in Chandigarh predicted rain or thundershowers at a few places in the states over the next two days.