Heavy rain triggers landslides, floods in Bhandari

DIMAPUR — An unprecedented spell of heavy rainfall on the night of June 17 resulted in landslides and mud floods in and around Bhandari town.

According to a DIPR report, efforts of clearance and cleaning exercises carried out regularly in recent weeks by the public of Bhandari town as part of monsoon preparedness did not seem to help much against the heavy downpour.

Monitoring the situation, the district administration stated that efforts are being undertaken to clear, maintain, and repair damaged roads, drainage systems, and other local infrastructure to minimise the impact of monsoon-related issues.

Also read: NSDMA issues heavy rainfall alert for Nagaland until June 25

The additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Bhandari informed that, due to the torrential rain and landslides, some private buildings and properties were partly damaged.

The SDPO of Bhandari informed that in the morning of June 18, a Bolero pick-up bearing registration number NL05-G 0420 skidded off the road while trying to navigate a landslide area and fell about 100 feet below the road at Tsumang ward, towards Merapani from Bhandari.

The owner of the vehicle, Fazul, his driver, and one woman passenger who sustained injuries were shifted to Golaghat hospital for treatment.

The Merapani Village Council reported that the heavy rainfall caused flash floods in the foothill areas and Merapani village, stating that due to the overflow of the Marachu river, the main road of Merapani and nearby areas were inundated with water, and in some places, water rose to more than seven feet above ground level.

The council also informed that the flood caused damage to the main road by creating a crack measuring about 30 feet and appealed to the concerned authorities to address the matter to prevent further damage.

The ADC of Bhandari urged the public to monitor waterlogging and potential health hazards to prevent outbreaks of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, malaria, and other epidemics during the sub-tropical summer season.