Death toll in the devastating floods in Tripura has reached 20 while impacting over 1.7 million people, forcing 65,400 to seek refuge in emergency shelters since its beginning on August 19th and rivers across the region swell beyond danger levels.
Brijesh Pandey, the Revenue Secretary of Tripura, reported that the relentless rainfall over the past few days has kept water levels alarmingly high.
The state recorded some of its highest rainfall figures on August 22, with South Tripura’s Bogafa receiving 493.6 mm, Sepahijala’s Sonamura 293.4 mm, West Tripura’s Agartala 233 mm, and Gomati’s Udaipur 155 mm.
These torrential downpours have left large parts of the state submerged, with Gomati, South Tripura, Unakoti, and West Tripura districts bearing the brunt of the floods.
Pandey described the situation as unprecedented, noting that it is being closely monitored at the highest levels of government. "Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha has taken stock of the situation multiple times and reviewed the ongoing relief and response efforts. The State machinery, in coordination with various state departments and central agencies, is working tirelessly to mitigate the disaster’s impact on citizens. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Indian Air Force, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are providing critical support to our efforts," Pandey said.
The water levels in rivers across six locations—Dhalai, Khowai, South Tripura, West Tripura, North Tripura, and Unakoti—remain above the danger mark. To provide shelter and relief, district administrations have set up 450 relief camps across the state, housing over 65,400 displaced persons.
Emergency relief, including food, drinking water, and medical assistance, is being provided at these camps, with officers from various departments working around the clock to support the flood-stricken population.
The ongoing crisis has resulted in significant loss of life and property. The death toll has risen to 20, with 14 confirmed dead and six others perishing in a landslide in the South District.
Additionally, two people remain missing. The floods have also caused widespread infrastructural damage. A total of 844 electrical poles, 151 transformers, 310 kilometres of conductors, and two substations have been damaged.
Landslides have occurred at 2,032 locations, 1,789 of which have been cleared, while road erosion has been reported at 1,952 sites, with restoration completed at 579 locations.
To combat these challenges, 153 bulldozers and around 200 field engineers have been deployed across the state, working tirelessly to clear debris and restore services.
The severe weather has also disrupted transportation, with bus services from Chandrapur, Nagerjala, and Radhanagar, as well as all railway services from Agartala, suspended.
The agricultural sector has not been spared, with preliminary estimates indicating that 5,000 hectares of vegetables and 1.20 lakh hectares of paddy land remain submerged, leading to significant crop damage.
The state government has mobilized 26 teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), comprising personnel from the Tripura State Rifles, and four teams from the NDRF for rescue operations.
In response to the escalating crisis, an additional 120 NDRF personnel were airlifted from Arunachal Pradesh and deployed in Gomati, West Tripura, and Sepahijala districts.
The earlier teams are already engaged in South Tripura, West Tripura, Unakoti, and Khowai districts. Over 2,000 volunteers from Civil Defense and Aapda Mitra have joined the rescue and relief efforts.
To further bolster the relief operations, the Government of India has provided two helicopters to assist in airlifting stranded individuals in the Gomati and South Tripura districts.
The helicopters have conducted reconnaissance missions and are being used to deploy NDRF teams and airdrop food supplies in the worst-hit areas, including Amarpur.
The situation remains dire as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the entire state, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall for today and tomorrow.
The alert covers all of Tripura for today and four districts for tomorrow, indicating that the state’s ordeal is far from over.
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