TURA, Oct 15 ? Three days of incessant rains that lashed Garo Hills from October 5 causing massive landslides, floods, and loss to human lives has put damage to the tune of crores of rupees. Officials of the three districts of Garo Hills are presently surveying the damage caused to crops, roads and bridges, and homes. They will be putting forward their findings to PWD Minister Dr Mukul M Sangma, during a review meeting expected to take place on Saturday at Tura Circuit House.
A depression in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the continuous downpour, also caused the death of seven people in the Garo Hills. Four lives were lost in East Garo Hills and three in West Garo Hills, while the southern district reported no loss of human life. Two villagers were washed away at Imbangi village, near Wageasi, one at Kharkutta, and another near Darugre, Rongjeng, in East Garo Hills. In West Garo Hills two labourers were washed away at Sadolpara village and a villager drowned at Rongai, near Chibinang.
The downpour also led to excessive rainfall in the month of October, by far the highest in the last couple of years. Tura alone recorded 407.8 mm of rain from Tuesday morning upto 12 noon of Thursday. The rains caused flooding of several areas forcing people to flee their homes in pursuit of higher ground.
Over eleven villages including Gandhipara, under Betasing Block, were completely inundated in West Garo Hills. In East Garo Hills, rising waters of the river Simsang inundated homes in eight localities of Williamnagar forcing people to flee during Thursday night.
The localities of Warima, Nokil Awe, Dama Bazar, Nengsangre, Kolmesolgre, Ampangdanggre, Dobetkolgre, and DC-New Colony were severely affected by the flash floods that also washed away five homes. In South Garo Hills, the entire Baghmara market was submerged by the flood waters causing extensive damage to perishable goods including cement in the godowns.
Temporary relief camps were set up to distribute rice and other essential items for the affected people in both West and East, while in South Garo Hills relief was distributed by the district officials who visited the flooded areas.
Heavy damage was done to road communication in the three districts. The main portion of National Highway-51, connecting Tura with Assam, was littered with landslides. An entire hillock came down near Anogre on Thursday morning snapping all communication between Garo Hills and the rest of the state. The road linking Williamnagar to Tura was also cut off by landslides at Oragitok and Rombagre. It has since been restored.
In South Garo Hills, despite landslips at various places road communication between its district headquarter, Baghmara, and Tura has been restored early. Only the Sibbari to Chokpot road remains to be restored. Following the road blockade, prices of essential commodities shot up in Tura town.