'Whole village went under water': Assam floods, 21 dead in 24 hours, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• Unprecedented floods have affected Upper Assam districts including Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat.
• The floods claimed 21 lives within a 24-hour period, with the total affected population rising to 5.6 lakh.
• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are actively involved in rescue and relief operations.
• The Chief Minister attributed the floods to a "cloudburst" in Nagaland's Mon district, causing tributaries like Dikhow, Disang, and Janji to swell.

Detailed Insights:

• The flooding is considered unprecedented for this region, which is typically inland from the Brahmaputra river and not prone to such severe inundation.
• Heavy rainfall of 137 mm over 8-9 hours in Nagaland's Mon district, on already saturated mountains, triggered the severe flooding in Assam.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a cloudburst as rainfall exceeding 100 mm within one hour.
• Water levels have overtopped existing embankments, indicating the extreme volume of water flowing through the region.
• Rescue efforts include evacuations by boat, establishment of relief camps, airdropping supplies by helicopters, and the use of drones for inaccessible areas.
• Nagaland's Mon district also experienced devastation, with nine lives lost due to landslides caused by the heavy rainfall.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Cloudburst: An extreme localized weather phenomenon involving very heavy rainfall, typically exceeding 100 mm per hour over a small area.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): A specialized force for disaster response, operating under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
• State Disaster Response Force (SDRF): State-level specialized units for disaster response, complementing the efforts of the NDRF.
• Embankments: Artificial ridges or walls built along rivers to prevent flooding of adjacent land.