Rain fury on in Tripura, Mizoram, 22,000 shifted to camps

Agartala, July 15 (IANS) Over 22,000 people have been shifted to relief camps and other safer places in Tripura and Mizoram due to flooding of low-lying areas and villages by uninterrupted rains over the past three days, officials said on Monday.

At least four people were drowned in swollen rivers in the two states and their bodies have been recovered.

Train services between Tripura, Mizoram and the rest of the country have been affected due to rain and landslides, while water, electricity and telephone services were badly affected due to damages in the heavy downpour.

India Meteorological Department Director Dilip Saha, however, told IANS that the situation is expected to improve from Tuesday.

According to officials in Tripura Disaster Control Centre, over 17,000 people have taken shelter in 64 relief camps on the outskirts of Agartala and four other districts - Khowai, Unokoti, Gomati and South Tripura.

"We have deployed Tripura State Rifles troopers and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and civil defence personnel to rescue the marooned people," West Tripura District Magistrate Sandeep Mahatme told the media.

"Water in several rivers, including Howrah, has crossed the danger level. We have taken precautionary measures to deal with any eventuality," he said.

The body of a youth who had apparently drowned while collecting wood from the flooded Muhuri river in South Tripura was recovered on Sunday, officials said.

Agartala and its outskirts have been badly affected due to the continuous rain since Saturday and a large part of the city has been submerged

"Around 311 mm rainfall was recorded in Agartala since Saturday against the normal average daily rainfall of 11 to 12 mm," a Revenue and Relief Department official said.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has asked Chief Secretary Usurupati Venkateswarlu and other officials to remain alert to deal with the situation.

In Mizoram, over 5,000 people have taken shelter in safer places in different districts as major rivers and their tributaries submerged over 500 houses and low lying areas.

Three people, including a 5-year-old girl, drowned in different rivers and their bodies were recovered by the State Disaster Response Force personnel.

According to the Mizoram Disaster Control Centre, headquarters of three of the state's eight districts - Mamit, Lunglei and Lawngtlai - were cut-off from capital Aizawl due to heavy landslides and damage to roads including National Highway 54.