Relentless monsoon downpours have battered Northeast India, unleashing landslides, flash floods, and severe disruption to transport and essential services across several states.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alerts in multiple districts, warning of more extreme weather through the end of May. In Manipur, a major landslide in Tamenglong district on Friday morning blocked National Highway-37, a crucial corridor linking Imphal with Silchar in Assam. The landslide near Nungdalal, between K. Sinam and Nungnang villages, buried a 30-metre stretch of road, leaving over 200 vehicles stranded — including oil and LPG tankers, and returning cargo trucks. Despite the deployment of excavators by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), continuous rainfall is slowing debris clearance and delaying road access restoration. Assam’s capital, Guwahati, experienced severe urban flooding after heavy rainfall combined with runoff from Meghalaya. Several localities — including Rukminigaon, Nabin Nagar, Beltola, and Anil Nagar — were inundated. Knee-deep water entered homes and submerged major roads, prompting the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to launch boat rescues. In Rukminigaon, stranded residents were evacuated.
Officials at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation confirmed that the city’s drainage system was overwhelmed by excessive runoff, leading to large-scale waterlogging. Elsewhere in Assam, in Majuli — the world’s largest river island — a swollen Brahmaputra River swept away a 350-metre bamboo bridge at Bhakat Chapori, cutting off 17 villages from the mainland. Emergency assistance is now being arranged to restore temporary connectivity. In Meghalaya, heavy rains triggered a landslide near Pynursla in East Khasi Hills on Thursday. Though no casualties were reported, the terrain remains unstable. The IMD has placed large parts of the state under red alert. Arunachal Pradesh is also facing landslides and blocked roads. In West Kameng district, vehicles were stranded near Jamiri due to slope collapses. Road-clearing operations have been suspended amid continuous downpours, and parts of Bomdila town are currently without electricity. The IMD has forecast continued rainfall and storm activity over the coming days, fuelled by a deep depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal.
Thunderstorms, lightning, and squally winds are likely to affect Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. Authorities have been urged to stay on high alert as the weather remains unpredictable.
