At least 31 people have died as the flood situation in India's Assam and Meghalaya states deteriorated with major rivers continuing to swell amid incessant rains.
At least 1.9 million people in 28 districts of Assam have been affected by the floods with the newly formed Bajali district being the worst hit, bdnews24.com reports citing India’s NDTV. The water levels in the Brahmaputra and Gauranga rivers were flowing above the danger level at many points, officials said on Friday.
The floods left at least 12 people dead in Assam in the last two days. The Meghalaya administration has reported 19 deaths during that time.
Both Assam and Meghalaya received 272mm more rainfall than normal until Wednesday. The weather department has extended the red alert in the two states till this weekend.
Just two days after recording 811.6mm of rainfall in a day, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya received a bountiful 972mm of precipitation in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Friday, the highest in June since 1995 and the third highest in 122 years.
The administrations of flood-affected districts have issued alerts, urging people not to go out of their homes unless it is urgent or there is a medical emergency.
Most parts of the capital Guwahati have come to a standstill due to waterlogging for the third consecutive day. Several landslides have also been reported in Guwahati city with three persons getting injured in Ajantanagar in the Noonmati area.
In the Baksa district, a portion of a bridge collapsed in the Subankhata area on Wednesday due to incessant rainfall and a rise in the water level of the Dihing River.
At least six trains have been cancelled and four partially cancelled following waterlogging on the tracks between Nalbari and Ghograpar of the Rangiya division in Lower Assam, according to an official.
In Meghalaya, the state government has formed four committees to look into four regions of the state. Each committee is headed by a cabinet minister.
National Highway 6 is closed for heavy traffic after parts of the highway caved in and were washed away. The highway is the lifeline of Tripura, southern Assam, Mizoram and parts of Meghalaya.