Rains wreak havoc in northeast; 31 die in Gujarat since June 1

Torrential rains battered the northeastern region today, triggering a flood-like situation in in Arunachal Pradesh and worsening the deluge in Assam, even as the Gujarat government said it has recorded 31 rain- related deaths in the state since the onset of monsoon.
The weatherman has predicted "extremely heavy rains" in Assam, where more than 3.5 lakh people have been hit by floods, and Meghalaya.
"Heavy to very heavy rains" are very likely in Arunachal Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh.
More heavy rains have been predicted for Nagaland and Manipur, where a downpour had yesterday triggered flash floods and landslides, and hit normal life.

As many as 31 people are feared to have died in rain- related incidents in various parts of Gujarat since monsoon hit the state on June 1, a state government official said.
Meanwhile, a downpour triggered water-logging in several areas of Ahmedabad, which resulted in traffic jams. The city received 22 mm of rainfall between 7 am and 4 pm. Kalol city in Gandhinagar district and Bhavnagar city received 53 mm and 46 mm of rainfall, respectively.

According to the State Emergency Response Centre, heavy rains have caused the water level in several dams to rise to nearly 90 per cent of their capacity, following which a "high alert" has been sounded for Fatehgadh dam in Kutch, the Demi-3 dam in Morbi, the Khodapipar dam in Rajkot and the Dholidhaja dam in Surendranagar.

The water level in the 163 metre-high Sardar Sarovar dam in Narmada district has surged to 115.02 metres, it said.
The flood situation in the Imphal Valley in Manipur remained grim with heavy showers triggering water-logging in Imphal East and Thoubal districts.
State works minister Th Bhiswajit told reporters that the government is working to repair the damaged banks of Imphal and Kongba rivers, which have rendered hundreds without shelter in the two districts.
Hundreds of residents of the Yaralpat, Lamlai and Khundrakpam areas in Imphal East district have been evacuated and shifted to relief camps, officials said.
Overflowing waters of the Nambul river have inundated many roads in Tera, Uripok and Sagolband, throwing normal vehicular traffic out of gear.

Personnel of the Assam Rifles have rushed to carry out flood relief and rescue operations in Mayang Imphal in Thoubal district after the state administration requisitioned them to assist in tackling the flood situation.
Meanwhile, copious rains lashed several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, including Itanagar, leading to landslides and a flood-like situation in many areas across the state.
The administration has alerted people residing in vulnerable areas, such as river banks, streams, landslide- prone zone and advised them to move to safer locations.
Heavy damage to roads, culverts, houses and other infrastructure was reported.
Incessant rainfall led to the erosion of a major portion of NH 415, which connects Naharlagun and Itanagar. The national highway has been closed and all vehicles were diverted to Papu-Nallah and Itanagar via the Jollang road.

Landslides were reported from almost the entire stretch of the Seppa-Sagalee-Kheel Trans Arunachal Highway. Around 100 people were stranded, officials said.
Two persons lost their lives in Assam, which is battling a worsening flood situation. Nearly 3.55 lakh people are bearing the brunt of the deluge across Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Darrang, Hojai, Majuli, Barpeta and Nagaon districts.
A two-and-half years old girl drowned at her house in Lakhimpur district last night when waters of Subansiri river inundated the area.
According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), another person died at Chandrapur in Dispur due to landslides.

With these, the total number of persons losing their lives in this year's flood-related incidents has gone up to 16.
The ASDMA said 740 villages are currently under water and almost 15,000 hectares of crop area has been damaged.
The worst affected is Karimganj, where over 2.12 lakh people have been affected by the deluge, followed by Lakhimpur with more than 92,000 sufferers.
Authorities are running 145 relief camps and distribution centres in six districts, where 21,683 persons are currently taking shelter.