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Journalism of Courage
The flood situation in Tripura continued to improve on Saturday as the water level came down in almost all the rivers, though the Gomati river, which crosses through Gomati and Sepahijala districts, was still flowing above the danger level.
According to the latest reports, the death toll has risen to 26. This includes casualties of landslides, mudslides, and drownings in six out of eight districts of the state – South Tripura, Gomati, Sepahijala, West Tripura, Khowai, and Unakoti – since August 19, when heavy rainfall began. Although the rain has slowed down in the state, there were intermittent showers on Saturday in the Gomati and South Tripura districts.
Two people, including a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawan, died while rescuing people in South Tripura and West Tripura districts. “Deeply saddened by the loss of Ashish Bose (TSR Jawan from Belonia) & Chiranjit Dey (from Indranagar), two brave fighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while saving others during #TripuraFloods.
My deepest condolences to their families & friends. May their sacrifice continue to inspire us to strive for greater heights of courage and bravery.
Their selfless act will never be forgotten…”, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha wrote on social media.
CM Saha convened an all-party meeting at the state guest house to urge party representatives to assist the government in addressing the upcoming post-flood challenges.
Nearly 128,000 people sought shelter in 558 relief camps across the state. Over 17 lakh people were affected by the heavy rain, leading to devastating floods since Monday.
Over 1,055 houses were either fully or partially damaged, and over a hundred trees were uprooted, blocking several vital highways.
Landslides occurred at 2,032 places in the state; however, debris was cleared. According to preliminary estimates, nearly 5,000 hectares of vegetable farms and 1.20 lakh hectares of other croplands were submerged in the flood.
The preliminary report estimated that properties worth Rs 5,000 crores were damaged. However, according to a revenue official, assessments of many areas were still pending. The flood caused severe damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and houses. Accurate figures will be available after field visits and assessments are completed.
There has been little to no rain in most areas since Thursday afternoon, but the meteorological department issued an alert predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places in Tripura for the next three days.
On Friday, CM Saha conducted an aerial survey of the Udaipur, Amarpur, and Karbook areas in the Gomati district and visited several relief camps. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed four helicopters for relief operations.
Meanwhile, several local trains in the state were cancelled because railway tracks in the Gomati and South Tripura districts were damaged by heavy rainfall, as reported by the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR).
