Amid Covid-19 pandemic, flood & landslides hit Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh

Even as the nation has been fighting the worst pandemic ever in modern times, floods and landslides have been reported in the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Both have been triggered by incessant rain in the region following Cyclone Amphan. The early floods in the states of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have caused worry among the people. Even though it is an annual affair for the states in the Northeast to deal with floods and landslides, this year, it's a cause of worry as most of the resources available both with the Center and the states have been fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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No loss of human life reported

Incessant rain over the last few days has triggered many landslides in the region including in Guwahati. Some of the worst landslides have been reported from Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills too. Many rivers in the region are flowing above the danger level, including the Brahmaputra in certain places in Assam. The Siang River (the Brahmaputra as called in Arunachal Pradesh), is flowing more than one meter above the danger level in Miao and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh. Similarly another of Brahmaputra's major tributaries, Subansiri, too has been flooded. 

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In lower Assam areas, water released from dams and reservoirs in Bhutan have flooded certain areas too in the districts of Nalbari, Baksa, and Barpeta. On the other hand, floodwaters from West Garo Hills have inundated many cropland in Western Assam. So far no loss of human lives has been reported from anywhere, but the first wave of floods has caused immense loss to property and livestock. In Assam over 200 villages have been affected so far with an impact on nearly two lakh population of the State. It may be mentioned that the State government of Assam had been keeping a tab on flood preparedness for the last few weeks while dealing with the COVID-19 situation.

The worst fear among the people is that floods and the pandemic can cause an immense loss in terms of human resources to the state, as the theory of social distancing is not practical while dealing with the floods. Meanwhile, the IMD has predicted heavy to heavy rainfall in the region for the next three days.

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