Nagaland: NH29 completely cut off in Kohima district’s Viswema village due to landslide. (Source: ANI)
Rains continue to cause havoc in the Northeastern part of the country as a large part of the National Highway 29 was on Saturday was washed away following a landslide close to Viswema village in Kohima district of Nagaland, the police said. This portion of the NH29 connected Nagaland and Manipur.
The landslide took place on Saturday morning, almost 200 meters from the village, the police told news agency PTI. Almost 70 meters of the highway has been washed away in the landslide, bringing traffic to a halt.
The NH29 serves as the major artery for trade, commerce, tourism, supplies and other vehicular movement for the region. With this road now damaged, sending emergency supplies and first aid to rain and flood damaged areas in the state could pose a problem.
Residents from nearby areas have built a temporary footpath for people to cross the water-logged areas. They are helping out in any manner they can, such as transporting luggage across for travellers. The police said they are trying to repair the highway along with the Border Road Task Force, according to news agency PTI.
The northeast region has been under the spell of heavy rains, with the Brahmaputra river overflowing and flooding surrounding areas. Subsequent landslides have wreaked havoc in the region, with as many as 2,500 villages submerged in Assam. Close to 1.06 lakh hectares of farmland has been destroyed. As many as 44 people have lost their lives.
Manipur, on the other hand, has estimated its losses at almost Rs 131 crore. Close to 20 per cent of farmland has been destroyed. Search and rescue operations have been dispatched to help people in distress.
(with inputs from agencies)
