Pre-monsoon rains hit Northeast, Mizoram remains cut-off

Agartala/Aizawl, April 26: Week-long incessant pre-monsoon rains, thunderstorm and heavy lightning disrupted life in northeastern states while road connectivity remained cut-off in Mizoram due to landslides, officials said on Wednesday.

"Cyclonic circulation persisting over East Bangladesh and adjoining Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland caused light to heavy rains since April 20 affecting normal life in the region," Meteorological Department Director Dilip Saha told IANS in Agartala.

Saha said: "The situation is likely to improve from Wednesday. The quantum of pre-monsoon rain this year is higher than last year in the four northeastern states."

Though the four-month-long (June-September) Southwest monsoon was likely to hit the Northeastern region in June, seasonal Nor'wester (cyclonic rainstorm) spells have occurred intermittently since March in most parts of the region's eight states.

The Met officials said that the Nor'westers would continue till the onset of monsoon in June and be more active in the coming weeks in entire eastern and northeast India and few other places.

"The NH-54 remained blocked since Monday due to the landslide caused by non-stop rainfall since last week," Mizoram Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Director C. Lalpeksanga said in Aizawl.

The NH-54 is the lifeline of the mountainous state.

Lalpeksanga said heavy landslides took place at several places in the southern part of Mizoram adjoining Assam.

As many as 50 families have been evacuated from different places of the affected areas.

The rains damaged the power supply system, uprooted many electric poles and big trees, besides damaging many homes, crops and various properties in different parts of the four northeastern states - Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland, the officials said.

Unprecedented moisture in the soil and abnormal humidity in the air due to long period of rain also created dampness in the floors and walls of most houses in the region.