Rain fury strikes Nagaland, 12 dead

GUWAHATI: Twelve people were killed and thousands displaced in Nagaland due to incessant rains in the last one month with chief minister Neiphiu Rio seeking Central help on Wednesday, even as several other northeastern states registered deficit rainfall this monsoon.

Rains have been wrecking havoc in the hilly state since late July, resulting in 12 deaths.

As many as 3,000 families have also been displaced across 400 villages, according to Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority. “The damage this year is unprecedented in history,” said Temjen Toy, chief Secretary. Nagaland had contributed ~1crore towards Kerala’s flood relief, earlier this month.

“#Nagaland needs your #help. Incessant rain has caused floods & landslides in several parts of the state & have affected many,” tweeted out the chief secretary. The state has requested the centre ~ 219 crore as immediate help. According to officials, the demand is likely to go up to ~ 400 crore. The damage is pegged at around ~ 800 crore as of now.

Interestingly, Northeast received deficit rainfall this year. According to figures from the Regional Metrological Centre, Guwahati, up to August 29, Nagaland has seen a 26% deficit this season, while Assam has 30%, Meghalaya 43%, Manipur 68%, Arunachal Pradesh 46%, Tripura 17% and Mizoram 6%. “It is the nature of the rainfall which is disruptive,” said Johnny Asin, a disaster management official with the Nagaland government. “It pours 100 mm in one hour,” he said.

The primary cause of flooding has been attributed to the release of water, twice, from the Doyang Hydro electric project dam located in Nagaland’s Wokha district. The water has flooded downstream areas including Golaghat district in Assam.

All the districts in Nagaland, including Kohima and Dimapur have been affected. “The state of affairs is so sad that the main Dimapur to Kohima national highway is blocked,” the chief secretary said. Asin, the disaster management official said arrangements have been made to divert traffic through rural roads.

“We are not allowing any truck with load of more than ten tonnes,” he said. “Roads in as many as 359 locations have been cut-off, sending the state into an emergency situation.”

Kiphere, a district in Nagaland that borders Myanmar is the worst affected.

“We are hoping that the seven smaller trucks with 1,500 bags of rice which are on their way from Dimapur will get here by tomorrow morning,” said MA Shihab the district deputy commissioner.

“But that again will depend on the intensity of the rains,” said Shihab.