Guwahati: Incessant rainfall since Sunday night triggered landslides at five locations in Guwahati on Monday, injuring four members of a family in the city’s Maligaon area.Officials said the incidents were reported from Kamakhya Main Road leading to the temple, Kamakhya Colony near Ganesh Mandir, Paschim Kamakhya Gaon, Pandu Temple Ghat and Madhabdeb Nagar in Maligaon.The slide at Madhabdeb Nagar in the Goshala locality struck late Sunday night, damaging a house and trapping occupants under debris. Rescue personnel, assisted by local residents, evacuated the family and shifted them to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment. The injured were identified as Ranjit Das, a railway employee, his wife Sabitri Das, and their son and daughter.No injuries or casualties were reported from the other four sites.Kamrup (Metro) district commissioner Swapneel Paul, who is also chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), issued an advisory asking residents to avoid unnecessary travel in landslide-prone areas. “The traffic flow to Kamakhya temple may be regulated due to recurrent landslide incidents on the temple main road, which may delay the darshan of devotees,” the district administration said.On Sunday, a guard wall collapsed in a landslide incident in Guwahati’s Kharghuli area, with nearby residents narrowly escaping, officials said.The DDMA also issued an alert for people living in 366 identified vulnerable landslide-prone zones across 19 hills in the city, asking those at risk to move to safer locations. The vulnerable zones include 77 in Sunsali Hill, 40 in Noonmati, 37 in Kharguli, 33 in Khanapara, 31 in Narangi, 30 in Hengrabari, 25 in Kahilipara, 20 in Santipur, 14 in Narakasur Hill, 9 in Garbhanga, 8 in Maligaon, 7 in Kalapahar, 6 each in Gotanagar and Nabagraha, 5 each in Fatasil, Kamakhya/Nilachal, Sarania and Koina-Dhora, 2 in Jalukbari/Lankeshwar and 1 in Sukreswar.The average elevation of the city’s hills is around 270 metres, with Fatasil Hill at 385 metres and Khanapara Hill at 303 m, officials said.An official of the DDMA said many landslides were linked to unscientific earth cutting in hill areas and said the authority was prepared to handle landslides and urban floods, seeking cooperation from residents.The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Monday urged Guwahati residents to remain vigilant after the IMD forecast moderate to heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning. ASDMA said the city could receive 6-12 cm of rainfall in 24 hours, raising risks of waterlogging, urban flooding, flash floods, slow vehicular movement and localised landslides in vulnerable areas.
