Heavy rain, NEEPCO dam release wreak havoc in Lakhimpur; 2 dead, many stranded
So far, 243 villages have been affected in the flood; district administration has launched a round-the-clock rescue operation;
A house submerged in Lakhimpur. (AT Photo)
North Lakhimpur, May 31: Two people lost their lives and thousands stranded as heavy overnight rain combined with dam-induced flooding wreaked havoc across Lakhimpur district on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as Biren Pawe and Rajkumar Taid. Both were marooned in the floods and died today after being unable to escape their submerged homes in Nowboicha.
The rising water level of the Ranganadi River began overflowing at 1 a.m. on Saturday, following the release of dam water from the Panyor Hydro Electric Plant (PHEP) on Friday evening by the North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). The plant is located upstream at Yazali, Arunachal Pradesh.
So far 243 villages have been affected in the flood. The district administration has launched a round the clock rescue operation by deploying SDRF personnel in affected areas.
The worst affected area is the Nowboicha Revenue Circle, where floodwaters from the Ranganadi River overflowed onto National Highway 15 at Gendhali, about 8 km from the district headquarters in North Lakhimpur.
This flooding was caused by the breaching of the Mora Singra embankment at Atichuk, which allowed floodwater to flow over NH-15 through Khagorigaon.
The rising floodwaters have forced authorities to shut down National Highway 15, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides.
Nearby, in Pohumora, the floodwaters from PHEP breached the right embankment, submerging a vast area.
The affected zone includes Pohumora High School, the Satajan Bird Sanctuary, and the Phumora-Kimin interstate road, effectively cutting off road communication with neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
Villages such as No. 1 Dejo Pathar, Pachnoi, Na Bhagania, and Deobil are among the worst hit. Residents were forced to flee, leaving behind belongings and food grains that were swept away by the surging waters.
This morning, the overflowing Ranganadi River also breached the locally known "ULFA Embankment" in Aamtola, under the North Lakhimpur Revenue Circle, inundating over a hundred villages.