Guwahati records 72 landslides in 5 days, families told to move to safety

GUWAHATI: Altogether 72 landslides took place across the 18 hills of Guwahati from June 14 to Saturday owing to incessant rainfall during that period and as many as 266 families residing in locations vulnerable to mudslips have been asked by the Kamrup (Metro) district administration to shift to safer places immediately.
The Kamrup (Metro) District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said a few families are taking shelter in relief camps set up at Vaidic Ashram LP School in Guwahati’s Chandmari area while others have not shifted to any safer place despite being asked.
ADC Gauri Sankar Das said major landslides were reported in Chandmari Nizarapar, Maligaon, Fatasil Ambari, Boragaon, Piyoli Phukan Nagar, 12th Mile, Bapuji Nagar and Bhabanipur.
Four construction site workers were killed in the first landslide on June 14 at Boragaon in the city after they were trapped under the debris while they were fast asleep.
DDMA project officer Kaustav Talukdar said a few buildings and houses affected by the landslides were at risk of collapsing and, therefore, have been asked to shift to safer places immediately. He said the new road from Pandu to Kamakhya temple has been closed by the district administration for public movement following reports of landslides and cracks on the road at different locations.
Guwahati experienced incessant heavy rainfall from June 13 evening to Saturday. The intensity of the rain was low from Saturday to Monday as the city recorded light to moderate spells of rain in these three days.
The city received excess rainfall from June 1 to Monday. According to the Indian Meteorology Department, Guwahati recorded over 445 mm rainfall, which is 138% more than the normal of 187 mm.
The soil conservation department is carrying out a thorough assessment of the landslide-prone zones across the 18 hills, where over 1 lakh population live.
A total of 366 landslide-prone zones across 18 hills in the city were identified by the district administration ahead of monsoon, which hit the northeast earlier this month.
According to a report of the state soil conservation department, the first major landslide took place in Guwahati in 1972 at Kharghuli hill. In the last 20 years, Guwahati recorded the highest deaths in 2003 and 2004. Altogether 17 people were killed in a landslide in 2003 in the city while 18 the following year.