Tripura: Heavy rains leave over 3,500 families homeless

Heavy rains in Tripura during the past 24 hours have left over 3,500 families homeless, officials said on Wednesday.

After the rain stopped on Wednesday morning, over 500 families have been evacuated in West Tripura's Sadar sub-division as their homes were submerged by water.

The water level in the river Howrah was flowing just below the danger level at 12 pm, said Tapan Kumar Das, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar.

"The situation may turn worse if the state receives fresh shower as predicted by the meteorological department. We are ready to meet any eventuality as all officials concerned are alerted," he said.

The Assam-Agartala National Highway, considered the heart of the state was thrown open for transportational movement after clearing debris on Tuesday night. The road had remained cut off for several hours due to land slips at Atharamura hill on Tuesday.

Over 3,500 families are now lodged in 89 relief camps across the state, as per the the latest report of the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Kumarghat and Panisagar in Unakoti district, Sabroom in South Tripura district, Amarpur in Gomati district and Telimaura in Khowai district are hard hit by the rain, a SEOC official said.

NDRF and TSR personnel are working together to render help to the affected families, he said adding there was no report of human casualty, but the crops suffered extensive damage, official sources said.