Cloudburst fear sparks panic in Itanagar, no. of Assam's flood-hit down to 2 lakh

GUWAHATI: In a matter of minutes, the serene sky at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh turned spooky and rained hard, triggering a series of landslides, a deluge of the streets, and a "cloudburst" panic among the residents. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, termed it an "extremely heavy fall", and not a cloudburst, which resulted in 3.75 cm of rainfall in a little more than two hours from 10.30 am to 11.45 am.
"Since the entire rainfall of 3.75 cm took place within a short interval at Itanagar and a similar amount of water flowing from higher hills to the state capital, when summed together, caused a flood-like situation and more damage," explained K N Mohan, the head of the regional meteorological centre of the IMD.
Soon after the heavy rain, the NH-415, a vital link for Itanagar with the rest of the country, experienced flood-like conditions, bringing vehicular movement to a complete halt. Several houses and vehicles were damaged by the floodwaters in the capital.
To mitigate the effects of the calamity, officials of the district administration, led by DC Shweta Nagarkoti Mehta, along with other officers, visited nearly all flood-affected areas to assess and take stock of the situation.
Mehta also advised the residents in vulnerable areas to move to safer locations or designated relief camps while taking care of their properties and keeping them safe.
Moromi Dodum Sonam, the district disaster management officer , said relief camps were set up for people living in vulnerable locations. These camps are set up at the auditoriums of GHSS, ESS-Sector Itanagar, GSS Chimpu, Itanagar and multipurpose halls at Borum, GSS Papunallah Nlg, G-Sector, Nlg, and Nyokum community hall, 5/1 Banderdewa.
Meanwhile, in Assam, the intensity of floods has reduced and the number of flood-affected people was reported at 2.07 lakh on Sunday, down from 2.63 lakh on Saturday. The number of flood-affected districts also decreased from 12 to 11. Over 800 villages were still affected by floods, even as the water level of major rivers showed a receding trend.