Over 900 people rendered homeless as flash flood hits South Tripura

Over 900 people of 250 families have been rendered homeless after their houses were inundated in a flash flood in South Tripura district on Wednesday.

A disaster management official said that the South Tripura district authorities closed all schools and Anganwadi centres in the district as a precautionary measure.

The district administration has requested people living in low-lying and flood-prone areas to remain alert in the wake of the flood caused by incessant rain since Monday.

The water level in the Muhuri River, which flows from India to neighbouring Bangladesh, was flowing above the danger level (15.70 metres), flooding vast areas, including crop lands.

According to the official, two subdivisions – Santir Bazar and Belona – under the South Tripura district are the worst affected due to the flood triggered by heavy rains.

The district administrations have set up 16 relief camps to provide temporary shelter to the flood-affected people.

"The disaster management teams, civil officials, Civil Defence volunteers and Tripura State Rifles troops are ready to render any help, and the situation is being constantly monitored," he said.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha enquired about the latest flood situation in the South Tripura district and asked the official to take all possible measures to help the affected people.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an 'orange alert' (be prepared) for South Tripura district, predicting moderate to heavy rainfall, and a 'yellow alert' (be aware) for Gomati and Sepahijala districts for Wednesday.

An IMD statement said that the Low-Pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal and neighbourhood lay over Gangetic West Bengal adjoining Jharkhand on Wednesday. The associated cyclonic circulation extended up to 7.6 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move slowly west-northwestward across Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh during the next two days.

The Monsoon trough at mean sea level now passes through Amritsar, Chandigarh, Najibabad, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Daltonganj, the centre of the Low-Pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal adjoining Jharkhand and thence southeastwards to the northeast Bay of Bengal, the statement said.