Half of Guwahati under water after 37mm rain in 24 hours; IMD issues red alert for today | Guwahati News

GUWAHATI: Almost half of the city experienced flooding following 37mm rainfall within 24 hours, disrupting daily activities on Friday even as one person lost his life in a wall collpase after rain in Mizoram. The IMD has issued alerts — red for Saturday and orange for Sunday. There is prediction of continuous rain until Saturday. A 37-year-old man died after being buried under a collapsed stone retaining wall in the Thuampui area, on the northern outskirts of Aizawl, on Friday morning. His companion sustained serious injuries in the incident, which occurred amid severe monsoon rains and strong winds that caused widespread destruction across the state, police said. Due to continuous rainfall since Thursday causing deteriorating conditions, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma declared special casual leave for govt employees in Kamrup and Kamrup Metro districts on Friday, excluding those residing in office quarters. He announced closure of govt educational institutions in these districts for Saturday. He advised private organisations to operate with minimal staff and suggested employees residing far away to remain at home.“The weather is likely to remain the same till tomorrow evening, and there is a possibility of improvement from Sunday. Owing to the grim situation, power supply was cut in many parts across the state, affecting around nine lakh people, and 100 electricity transformers were kept shut in the city to prevent any possible untoward incidents,” he added.Nine Guwahati-bound flights were redirected to Agartala and Kolkata, with numerous others delayed since Thursday due to adverse weather conditions. A Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport representative indicated potential increases in flight diversions due to ongoing poor weather.“Most of the flights were diverted to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, and a few were diverted to Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala. For instance, Mumbai-Guwahati and Ahmedabad-Guwahati flights were diverted to Agartala, and flights from Chennai, Lucknow, and Delhi were diverted to Kolkata,” the spokesperson said. Some morning flights managed to land and depart with delays. LGBI Airport typically handles 125 daily flights. The diverted aircraft will return once weather improves.Authorities suspended ferry services between Guwahati and North Guwahati on the Brahmaputra until further notice. The flooding severely impacted public transport, forcing service suspension on Friday.Various areas experienced waist-deep flooding, while others had knee-deep water. The district disaster management authority deployed rubber boats with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) for evacuation and assistance. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported three landslides in Guwahati hills — at Nizarapar’s Lichubagan, Chitrachal Path at Kharghuli, and Ujjal Nagar at Kahilipara. No casualties occurred.The Kamrup (Metro) district administration provided emergency contact numbers for residents requiring assistance during adverse weather, flooding and landslides. Khanapara, situated near the Meghalaya border, suffered severe impact, affecting National Highway 6 traffic. This crucial entry point for upper Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh witnessed thousands of vehicles, including long-distance buses, stranded for hours.The other severely affected areas included Rukminigaon, Hatigaon, GS Road, Bhangagarh, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, and Chandmari.