Heavy rainfall causes floods and landslides in Meghalaya's Garo Hills region

SHILLONG: Heavy rainfall has caused floods and landslides across the state, particularly the Garo Hills region. Chief minister Conrad K Sangma visited the region to take stock of the ground situation on Friday.
“The CM visited flood-affected plain areas of the Garo Hills and directed the administration to provide relief,” an official in the state revenue and disaster management department said.
“State govt is monitoring the situation as rain has damaged infrastructure, triggered landslides, uprooted trees, caused flash floods and other damage across the districts,” the official said.
According to official records, the rainfall from June 1 to July 3 had been in excess for Meghalaya with 44% departure from normal, while the cumulative rainfall was 1173.2mm spread across the state. The southern districts have been more severely affected by the rain. The worst-hit areas in the West Garo Hills district are Silkata, Namabila and Haripur.
Chief secretary DP Wahlang convened a review meeting with all the districts to assess the damage done to roads and impact on connectivity.
According to information received from the revenue and disaster management department, in East Khasi Hills district, which includes state capital Shillong, 17 roads were affected due to landslides at various locations. However, all of them were cleared for traffic movement.