Flood impacts parts of Katigorah, 150-year-old bridge damaged; Rescue operation on, says DC

Heavy rainfall in the hill section in the past week has triggered a sudden rise in water level across all rivers in Barak Valley. Kakra, Boleshwar, Ghumra are all flowing over the danger level. Today morning, residents of Katigorah, Kalain, Gumrah saw river water flowing into the residential areas.

“These are paharia nadi (river flowing from the hills) and we have not seen such heavy flow of river water in the last few years. Within hours, the water started flowing into our residences. We request the administration to pay attention to this as it can soon take a dangerous turn,” said a resident of the Kalaincherra area.

Speaking with Barak Bulletin, deputy commissioner of Cachar, Keerthi Jalli said, “Cyclone impact has badly affected the area. We are sending manpower and resources for rescuing stranded public. I have written for requisitioning NDRF for Barak Valley in lieu of the coming days.”

150-year-old bridge that is popularly known as the hanging bridge over river Ghumra has been damaged by the heavy current of the water. One end of the bridge got uprooted due to the following landslip. This bridge happens to be the only lifeline for the people residing in Kalaincherra tea estate. The locals have raised concerns about various embankments in the region.

On the other hand, the river Barak is rising at the rate of seven centimetre per hour. At 11:00am, water level of river Barak at Annapurna Ghat was recorded at 19:65 metre while the danger level at Annapurna Ghat is 19:83 metre.

In Sonai Road, the residents have requested the deputy commissioner of Cachar to intervene immediately as waterlogging has brought life to a standstill.