EXCEPTIONALLY heavy rainfall in Tripura for 3-4 days from August 19 onwards caused havoc for nearly half of the total population in the state. So far, 32 people have been reported killed, mostly due to landslides and being washed away by the furious river currents. As of August 24, about 1.5 lakh people had taken shelter in 556 camps throughout the state, mostly in school buildings, other government premises, clubhouses, and even CPI(M) offices. Thousands of flood-affected families sought refuge in the homes of relatives and friends.

Countless dwelling houses were inundated by floodwater, with many either washed away or demolished by landslides. Many families lost their domestic animals and household items, including kitchenware. There were over 2,000 landslides, and a similar number of road damages occurred on highways. Both the northbound and southbound roads from the capital city, Agartala, remained closed for several days until the landslide debris was cleared. Many bridges on roads connecting the villages were washed away. A preliminary estimate suggests that about 1.5 lakh peasants lost around 70,000 hectares of recently planted paddy land. Many agricultural fields with paddy crops were buried under sand deposited by the floodwaters. The power department, already struggling with multiple shortcomings, has become almost inoperative in many rural areas, which have been left disconnected for weeks.

While the annual average rainfall in the state is 2,220 mm, and the average rainfall for the entire month of August is 270 mm, torrential rainfall totaling 375.7 mm was recorded over three days on August 19, 20, and 21, 2024. Although the Agartala office of the meteorological department had issued a warning about heavy rainfall, it did not predict such a severe extent of precipitation. All the rivers were flowing above the danger level. At the Tirthamukh Dam, the water level in the Dumbur Reservoir exceeded the danger level, prompting the Hydel Project Authority to open one of the three gates to reduce the water level to an optimum limit and save the dam.

During the days of incessant rain and widespread flooding, the first and foremost priority was to rescue the flood-affected people and provide them with food, clothing, and medicines for their survival. Initially, the rescue operations were started by local voluntary organisations and members of various youth organisations, including the DYFI. The SDRF and NDRF (State and National Disaster Response Forces) performed commendably, particularly in rescuing waterlogged people, including the ill, elderly, and children, and bringing them to shelter camps.

Recognising the severity of the flood situation, the CPI(M) state secretariat, in a message to all its units on August 22, directed all Party units and mass organisations to plunge into rescue and relief operations for the flood-hit people, regardless of their political affiliation. The secretariat also postponed the commemoration meeting for Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in Agartala and the state committee meeting, which were scheduled for August 24-25, 2024, respectively.

At the all-party meeting convened by the chief minister on August 24, the CPI(M) delegation, led by the state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, assured the government that the Party would exert its fullest capacity to cooperate in the rescue and relief operations. At the same time, Jitendra Chaudhury suggested that the chief minister consider increasing the compensation for families who lost their members and provide a government job to one member of each affected family. He also proposed that the state government request the central government to send an official team to assess the damage and recommend the allocation of funds. He suggested taking immediate measures to address the initial dislocation and mismanagement in various relief camps and ensure the timely provision of food, safe drinking water, regular sanitation, and security until people can leave the camps. He also recommended preparing for an imminent outbreak of waterborne diseases once the floodwaters recede.

CPI(M) activists in many areas arranged for preliminary necessities, such as food, clothing, and medicine, for the flood-affected people who had taken shelter in safer places. They then contacted the relevant block authorities to provide the minimum needs for their stay until the water receded. More than 400 flood-affected people, from various political backgrounds, took shelter in the CPI(M) Amarpur Sub-Divisional office of Gomati district, where the Party initially provided food and other necessities from its own funds. CPI(M) units collected funds from local residents to cover the expenses of providing food to the camp inmates in the initial stage.

CPI(M) leaders, including Manik Sarkar and Jitendra Chaudhury, along with local Party leaders, visited dozens of relief camps in Amarpur, Udaipur, Sonamura, and Belonia – the sub-divisions worst affected by the flood and landslides. Jitendra Chaudhury extensively visited relief camps in the Subroom Sub-Division, where village communication was severely disrupted due to more than a hundred landslides in the Takka Tulshi hills. Everywhere they went, the people in the shelters were overwhelmed to have close contact with Manik Sarkar and other CPI(M) leaders, and they began to voice complaints about the various difficulties they were facing in the camps. Manik Sarkar responded by saying that this was not the time for complaints and that some difficulties had to be endured during such challenging times; however, he assured them that their concerns would be brought to the attention of the relevant authorities.

This year’s devastating flood in Tripura serves as a reminder of our shared humanity that transcends barriers of caste, creed, religion, and political differences.