Rising Death Toll Anticipated as Recovery Efforts Continue

Newsreel Asia Insight #239
June 1, 2024

Floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Remal have claimed nearly 60 lives and affected hundreds of thousands of people in the northeastern states of Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya. As many of these states have regions that are difficult to access and telecommunication can be challenging during disasters, it is likely that the death toll will rise in the coming days.

Cyclone Remal made landfall near the Bangladesh-India border and swept across northeastern India from 26 to 28 May, according to ReliefWeb. Reports in the Indian media indicate that at least 29 people have died in Mizoram, with seven more missing. Further, 13 fatalities have been reported in Assam, at least seven in Nagaland, five in Manipur and five in Meghalaya, all due to incidents related to the floods and landslides caused by the cyclone.

At least 27 people have died and search operations have been ongoing for the past four days to locate seven people missing in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, following landslides, NDTV reported, adding that as many as 167 villages have been affected by the floods.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma was quoted as saying that a compensation of 400,000 rupees will be given to the families of those killed in the calamities and the state government has allocated 150 million rupees for recovery measures.

In southern Assam, the National Disaster Response Force personnel were deployed via airlift to the Barak Valley region, where the flood conditions continued to be dire on June 1, according to Deccan Herald.

In Barak Valley alone, the initial wave of flooding resulted in the deaths of at least seven individuals and affected over 250,000 people. Across 11 districts in Assam, more than 350,000 people have been impacted by the floods, with a total of eight fatalities reported.

The flooding has particularly devastated the southern and central districts of Assam, including Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Hojai and Nagaon. Rail services between Guwahati, Silchar and Tripura have been significantly disrupted due to a breach in the tracks caused by rains and mudslides.

In Nagaland, seven individuals, including a seven-year-old boy, lost their lives due to flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, as reported by Scroll.in.

Manipur, which has been experiencing ethnic violence for more than a year, has also seen severe impacts from the floods, with 188,143 individuals affected, leading to the displacement of thousands and significant damage to infrastructure, according to PTI.

In Manipur, the response to the calamity involved evacuating 18,103 residents and establishing 56 relief camps to accommodate the displaced, which quoted Awangbou Newmai, Manipur’s Minister for Water Resources and Relief & Disaster Management, as saying that the floods damaged 24,265 houses and affected around 401 hectares of crop land.

The minister said relief materials had been distributed across several districts, including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Noney, Churachandpur, Senapati and Kakching, focusing on immediate needs like food, water and medical supplies.

The disaster’s intensity led to breaches in river embankments at 18 spots, with 17 now sealed. The measures have somewhat controlled the flooding in surrounding areas, yet the situation remains precarious in parts of Imphal where water levels in the Nambul and Imphal rivers had risen alarmingly, overflowing into several districts.

The state’s capital has seen a gradual decrease in water levels after the rivers overflowed, but areas like the Khwairamband market continue to struggle with inundation, according to Hindustan Times.

Officials reported that the water level inside the Raj Bhavan reached up to 5.5 feet. Governor Anusuiya Uikey urged the disaster management teams to prioritise the restoration of normalcy in this key administrative area.

In Meghalaya, four individuals are feared dead in a remote village in East Khasi Hills district following a landslide caused by heavy rain, as reported by The New Indian Express.

Separately, as the Meghalaya Monitor reported, a rain-induced landslide damaged a house in Pohwailong Sutnga under Wapung block, East Jaintia Hills, resulting in the death of the occupant, a 27-year-old man.

A section of National Highway 6, which connects Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, collapsed following a landslide, according to NDTV.

As of June 1, Mizoram was the only state that had announced compensation for the families of the deceased. No other state government had been reported to have made a similar announcement.

Compensation for the victims involves ex gratia payments, aimed at providing immediate financial relief. Further, recovery efforts should include rehabilitation programmes and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, guided by the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and subsequent state-level policies.

After the recovery process begins, each state government should be asked to share their preparedness for handling such calamities, as the respective State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is responsible for warning people against an approaching calamity and mitigating its effects.