Aizawl: The relentless monsoon rains have unleashed a trail of destruction across Mizoram over the past ten days, claiming five lives and displacing hundreds as the state grapples with widespread landslides and house collapses. The State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, in a grim update on June 3, confirmed the fatalities and detailed the extensive damage inflicted by the incessant downpour.
The department’s data reveals a tragic toll, with three individuals succumbing in Champhai district, while Aizawl and Serchhip districts each reported one fatality. These unfortunate incidents were primarily attributed to houses and walls caving in under the pressure of landslips and sudden flash floods. The state has recorded a staggering 552 landslides at various locations, alongside 152 residential structures that have either collapsed entirely or sustained significant damage during this ten-day period.
The sheer scale of the disruption is evident in the numbers: 198 families have been forced to abandon their homes due to the menacing threat of landslides or fissures in the ground, while an additional 92 families sought refuge elsewhere to escape the rising floodwaters. East Mizoram’s Champhai district, sharing a border with Myanmar, bore the harshest brunt of the current monsoon fury. It reported three deaths, a staggering 209 landslides, nine damaged houses, and the evacuation of 14 families.
Serchhip district, not far behind in its distress, documented one fatality, 75 landslides, 27 house damages, and a significant 132 families who have deserted their residences due to landslides, fissures, and inundation. Aizawl district, though spared the highest fatality count, reported 18 landslides, with 13 houses collapsing or sustaining damage, and 17 others left uninhabitable. Other districts also faced the wrath of the rains, with Khawzawl district reporting 75 landslides, Lunglei district 60, and south Mizoram’s Siaha district 53. In terms of structural damage, Siaha district saw at least 29 houses collapse or get damaged, Kolasib district 23, Lunglei district 18, and Khawzawl district nine.
The widespread disruption extended to education, with all schools across the state, barring those in Saitual district, remaining shut on Tuesday due to the prevailing rain conditions. Furthermore, officials confirmed that over a hundred trucks laden with essential commodities destined for the southern districts found themselves stranded in Serchhip, exacerbating concerns about supply lines. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported substantial rainfall figures, with Aizawl district receiving 253.7 mm of rainfall in the last three days, followed by Khawzawl district with 248.33 mm, and Siaha district recording 241.5 mm during the same period. While the immediate forecast brings a glimmer of hope, with light to moderate rainfall predicted for the coming five days, Mizoram remains on high alert, grappling with the aftermath of the monsoon’s severe early onslaught.
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