Rain batters Meghalaya, throws life out of gear

Incessant rainfall for the past five days has trigerred flash floods and landslides in several places in Meghalaya, causing damage to infrastructure and crippling normal life, officials said on Thursday.

A number of water bodies are flowing above the danger level, and district administrations have been asked to set up emergency operation centres for prompt response, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla told PTI.

Shylla said the regional met department has also issued an alert for heavy rainfall in the next two-three days.

East Khasi Hills District Deputy Commissioner Matsiewdor War Nongbri said a flood-like situation has emerged in various low-lying areas, due to water logging.

Several villages in the district have been cut off from Shillong, as roads were damaged in a flash flood last weekend, she said.

Efforts are underway to clear the debris and restore normalcy, she said.

Sohra, (erstwhile Cherrapunjee) received nearly 1,000 mm of rainfall in the past four days, a met department official said.

The situation is also grim in most places of the West Garo Hills District, with many rivers flowing above the danger mark and people living in low-lying areas advised to evacuate, a state disaster management official said.

Attendance in schools, colleges and offices has been thin, while markets wore an almost deserted look, in the past few days, the officials said.