Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah spoke with Chief Minister of Tripura, Dr. Manik Saha and took stock of the flood situation in the state and assured “all possible assistance from the Centre as and when required”.
Heavy rains have caused the Gomati River to overflow which has resulted in flooding in various districts of the state. 10 people have reportedly died due to the floods while nearly 35,000 people are said to be in relief camps.
On 21st August 2024, the Chief Minister has warned that the water level of the Gomati River had crossed the extreme danger level and urged those affected by the flood to cooperate with the authorities who are trying to evacuate them to safe zones.
Today, Dr Saha informed closure of all educational institutions, including Government, Government-aided, and private (Schools, Colleges and State run universities) until further notice.
After the telephonic conversation with the Union Home Minister, Dr Saha said that he was informed by Shah that “a total of eleven NDRF teams would be sent to Tripura from different locations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Arrangement would also be made for choppers for airlifting of the stranded people in the flood affected areas. More number of boats would also be sent along with the NDRF teams.”
Thanking Shah for the instant assistance, the Chief Minister stated that the entire State Government machinery has been working round the clock to tackle with the unprecedented natural calamity. “I thank public representatives, social workers and the people at large for cooperating with the State Government at this hour of crisis,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Amit Shah said, “Modi government firmly stands with our sisters and brothers in Tripura during this hour of crisis.”
In another development, the Ministry of External Affairs has rejected the claims that the opening of the Dumbur dam on the Gomati (Gumti) River in Tripura has caused flooding in the eastern borders of Bangladesh. The Ministry clarified that the catchment areas of the river have witnessed heaviest rains of this year over the last few days, however, the “flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam.”
Floods on the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a shared problem inflicting sufferings to people on both sides, and requires close mutual cooperation towards resolving them, it added.
