43,000 hit by floods in Meghalaya

Some 43,000 people were affected in Meghalaya on Friday after the swollen Brahmaputra and Jingiram rivers submerged several villages, an official said.

The Jingiram caused havoc due to the sudden back flow of the Brahmaputra and also due to incessant rains, inundating low-lying areas.

The surging waters of the Jingiram is causing danger to the Majhipara-Solartek embankment, increasing the risk of nearby villages getting completely submerged.

"A total of 43,000 people have been affected by the flash floods in 86 villages in Garo Hills," Pravin Bakshi, the district magistrate of West Garo Hills, told IANS.

"We have set up 21 relief camps for the displaced people after several houses and crops, particularly paddy, were submerged," he said.

The public health, engineering and family welfare departments have been asked to arrange for drinking water and attend to sanitation needs.