Barak river breaches danger mark, floods Silchar & Sribhumi towns

Silchar: Continuous heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has worsened the flood situation across the Barak Valley, affecting Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi districts. The Barak River breached its danger mark at Annapurna Ghat in Silchar on Sunday morning, with water levels rising steadily throughout the day.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Barak touched 21.01 metres at 5 pm — well above the danger level of 19.83m — and is rising at 4 cm per hour. Rainfall is expected to continue till June 4, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati, predicted.

Several low-lying areas in Silchar and Sribhumi towns were submerged, with hundreds taking shelter in schools and relief centres. The Cachar district administration has ordered closure of all educational institutions on June 2 and 3.

Sribhumi district reported the collapse of four embankments — two each on the Singla and Longai rivers — in Ramkrishnanagar and Patharkandi areas, pushing the flood situation to critical levels.

Officials said the breaches have led to large-scale inundation of residential areas.

In Hailakandi, floodwaters from the Katakhal River entered several villages after breaches at Tasla and Wangkhai Loikai in Lala circle. Locals blamed the authorities for not undertaking permanent repairs of the embankments. Nimaichandpur, Samarikona, Kalacherra, Rajyeshwarpur, Matijuri and Sonapur have been severely affected.

Rail services under NF Railway were partially suspended due to track damage between Baraigram and Dullabcherra in Sribhumi district.