Guwahati buckles under ‘rain of terror’

GUWAHATI: Floods caused by incessant heavy rain from Monday evening submerged a vast area of Guwahati, which received 68.2 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, affecting normal lives of people as well as functioning of educational institutions, police stations, business establishments and several other offices.
The IMD has issued a red alert for the next two days for Assam as heavy to extremely heavy rainfall has been predicted.

Schools were kept shut following waterlogging on campuses. Even a few police stations were inundated on Tuesday with the personnel facing challenges to work. Finding no other alternative, the men in uniform of Geetanagar police station took the initiative of cleaning the place themselves.

Following the IMD forecast of heavy rainfall over Assam, the Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha on Tuesday directed educational institutions in the district to remain closed. In Hatigaon, one of the city’s worst-affected localities, headmaster of Sijubari LP School Noor Hussain urged parents not to send their children to classes as the flood situation turned very dangerous.
In Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar, the Bharalu river channel overflowed and submerged the localities after it lost its water carrying capacity. The areas were under chest-deep flood water till noon on Tuesday, and were still under knee-deep water till the evening.
Transportation was severely hit as no vehicles could ply on the roads. Cycle-rickshaws were the only mode of transport that people could use to shift to safer locations. Due to the floods, a family in Anil Nagar had to wait for nearly 7-8 hours to get help from the district administration to take the body of a family member for cremation. Help reached the family of deceased Ram Prasad on Tuesday morning when the district administration assisted them to perform his last rites.
Meanwhile, teams from state disaster management authority, fire & emergency services and district disaster management authority evacuated people to safer places. The GMC commissioner, Devasish Sharma, said the civic body along with the district administration has extended support to all the affected people.