DEVASTATED NORTHEAST...

Every year, severe floods hit the northeastern region of India, rendering lakhs of people displaced and several dead. In 2022, the scale of the disaster has been massive, and the response was overwhelming. The Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, and various civil society organisations have been working relentlessly either in rescuing those stranded in flood or in providing flood relief material to the flood-affected. Though the floodwaters have receded in many areas, the damages are still evident. Homes and businesses have been destroyed, and people are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Northeast Today explores in-depth the causes that triggered one of the worst flood devastations in the region.

Haflong : A Paradise Lost

Haflong in the Dima Hasao district of Assam, the only hill station of the state, is the worst affected place in the region in the most devastating flood the region has witnessed in recent years.

"I have never witnessed such fury of nature ever in my life. This is for the first time that I have seen such devastation," said Abel Wongpong, a resident of Haflong while interacting with Northeast Today.

We may mention here that disaster struck Dima Hasao in mid-May after incessant heavy rainfall, severely affecting the 170 km railway line connecting Lumding in Hojai district and Badarpur in Karimganj district. The Assam government and Railway Ministry’s assessments said the district suffered a loss of more than Rs 1,000 crore, but ecologists say the damage could be irreversibly higher. Roads, bridges and houses were completed or partially damaged in several areas of the district. It also snapped communication channels.

"Not just flood, but landslides also wreaked havoc in the district. Landslides blocked most of the roads leading to the district. It stranded people in their homes for weeks. It also snapped connection with the outside world," Wongpong, who studies in a Guwahati-based college, further informed.

"NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, besides locals, carried out rescue operations in the flood-hit areas," he added.