Barak River Breaches Danger Level at Annapurna Ghat, Residents on High Alert

Barak River water level has touched the danger level at Annapurna Ghat. The danger level of the Barak River at Annapurna Ghat as per the Central Water Commission is set at 19.83 metres and that was touched today at 2:40 PM. During the 2022 Floods in Barak, the highest water level recorded at Annapurna Ghat was 21.59 metres on June 21, 2022, from 2 to 6 PM. It plateaued and started falling. The highest ever record at the same location is 21.84 metres and that peak has not been breached since 1989.

From last night, as per the records, at 1 AM (on May 29) the water level was at 16.40 metres, which was 3.83 metres below the danger level. Since then the water level has been increasing at a rate of 1.5 metres every hour on average. As per the last update the water level recorded at 3 PM was 19.92 metres, a difference of 25 cm from the last update at 2 PM.

Contributing to the critical situation, tributaries such as Singla, Longai, Jatinga, Dhaleshwari and Madhura have also overflowed. Turbulent waters have washed away embankments and dykes in several areas, exacerbating the flooding. In Karimganj, the Longai and Singla rivers have breached their banks, breaking embankments and dams, and inundating numerous homes. In Katigorah, the overflow of the Boleshwar and Gumra rivers has displaced over 600 people. Locals attribute the flooding to a malfunctioning sluice gate, suggesting the disaster could have been mitigated.

Cachar district, severely impacted by the 2022 floods, is now on high alert. Residents are closely monitoring water level updates from Annapurna Ghat. Forecasts this morning projected that the water level would reach 20.50 meters by 9 PM tonight.

In response to the escalating crisis, the Cachar District Administration has established 24/7 operational control rooms across the district to handle distress calls. The issued helpline numbers are as follows:

Control Room, Silchar: 94016-24141
DDMA Control Room, Cachar: 94016-24142
Emergency Helpline: 1077