Agartala: Normal life was affected badly due to flash floods in the capital city following continuous monsoon downpour for the last two days. Although the water level increased in all major rivers, except Agartala, no flood situation has arisen as of now.
The West Tripura district administration opened 28 relief camps, including 25 in the city, and shifted more than 6000 people.
However, the disaster management authority indicated that more people have been shifted to safe places soon because, till early this morning, heavy rainfall was reported in the upper catchment.
“This is normal monsoon rain due to high precipitation in Tripura; therefore, no major flood is expected now. The IMD forecasted moderate to heavy rainfall in the state for a week as normal monsoon activity. We are ready to tackle any eventuality,” said disaster management officials.
They said the water level of the River Haora in the city has already crossed the danger level, and it is feared to increase further due to rainfall in the hills, as the flow time of water from upper catchment areas to the plain takes 5-7 hours. There is no possibility of entering river water into the city; hence, the city dwellers will only suffer from inundation and flash floods.
Major parts of the city, including the Chief Minister’s official residence and house, were completely flooded with waterlogging after a heavy shower for three hours on Saturday night. This has continued on Sunday, as incessant rainfall has thrown life out of gear since morning.
Mayor of Agartala city, Dipak Majumder, said, “The city is shaped like a bowl and even for a moderate rainfall, creates water-logging in Agartala. After last year’s flood, all the pumps have been elevated to a safer level, and this time all the pumps worked efficiently. As a result, within two hours, water has been pumped out, and since all the drains are cleared, water has not stood for a longer time.”
Meanwhile, IMD has issued a weather warning for Tripura, forecasting heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over the next seven days across the state. The alert highlights the potential for significant disruption due to urban flooding, landslides, traffic blockages, and agricultural losses.