Rail and road communication in Assam's Barak Valley has been severely impacted as the Barak river surged above the danger mark, flooding several areas of Silchar town.
The situation, exacerbated by incessant rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, has caused significant disruptions, officials reported.
The railway station in Silchar's Tarapur locality, situated close to the river, has been submerged, halting railway operations.
A North East Frontier Railway spokesperson stated that services to and from Silchar, a crucial hub in Barak Valley, have either been canceled or short-terminated.
The Silchar-Guwahati Express and its counterpart from Guwahati, along with the Silchar-Rangiya Express and its corresponding train from Rangiya, will remain canceled on Friday and Saturday.
Six more trains will be canceled on Friday due to high-water levels and speed restrictions between Jugijan and Jamunamukh in the Lumding division.
These include the Guwahati-Mariani BG Express, Guwahati-Lumding Special, Guwahati-Ledo Intercity Express and its counterpart from Ledo, Dibrugarh-Guwahati Nagaland Express, and Shokhuvi-Naharlagun Donyi Polo Express.
Additionally, train services have been suspended between the New Haflong-Chandranathpur section in the Lumding division, resulting in more cancellations and short-terminations.
The Thiruvananthapuram Central-Silchar Express will be short-terminated at Guwahati, and the Sealdah-Agartala Kanchanjunga Express will be short-terminated and canceled between Lumding and Agartala. The Agartala-Secunderabad Special will also be short-terminated at Guwahati.
Moreover, the Bengaluru-Agartala Humsafar Express and the Anand Vihar Terminal-Agartala Rajdhani Express will be short-terminated at Guwahati.
The floods have severely affected the three districts of Barak Valley—Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj—along with Dima Hasao and Hojai.
Road communication in these districts has also been disrupted, with vehicles stranded after 20 metres of road on National Highway-6 was washed away by heavy rains in Meghalaya's Lumslum area.
Cachar is the worst-hit district, with 1,12,246 people affected by floodwaters, followed by 37,000 in Karimganj, 22,058 in Hojai, and 14,308 in Hailakandi.
Barak Valley had experienced devastating floods in 2022, with Silchar town being severely affected.
In Dima Hasao district, relentless rain has brought life to a standstill, severely impacting road connectivity.
The Haflong-Silchar road has been completely cut off after a section was washed away near Harangajao, while the Haflong-Harangajao route is blocked by multiple landslides.
The District Disaster Management Authority and Dima Hasao police have issued an advisory against traveling at night, except on the Umrongso-Lanka route.
Train services, canceled or short-terminated due to landslides along the Haflong-Badarpur rail route, have yet to be restored, officials said.
The severe disruption of rail and road communication highlights the vulnerability of the region to natural disasters and underscores the need for effective disaster management and infrastructure resilience.
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