Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: Prolonged spells of heavy rain over two days, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, have caused widespread damage across Tripura, affecting thousands of villagers and forcing hundreds to take shelter in relief camps. Official estimates indicate that more than 4,000 houses have been damaged, while one person died and two others were injured.
The deceased, Bajanti Reang from West Kathalcherra in Dhalai district, died after being struck by lightning on April 27. Her family has been provided an interim assistance of Rs 20,000.
Though rainfall eased on Tuesday morning, large parts of the state continue to grapple with the aftermath. Power supply remains disrupted in several areas, including locations near Agartala, where outages have lasted nearly 40 hours, triggering protests.
Relief and restoration work has intensified over the past 24 hours, with the administration monitoring the situation and dispatching aid to affected areas. Two relief camps are currently operational, sheltering 791 people.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, a total of 4,191 houses have been damaged — 195 fully, 547 severely and 3,449 partially. Financial assistance amounting to Rs 66.445 lakh has been distributed among 1,243 affected families so far.
Storms also damaged public infrastructure, including electric poles and school buildings. As many as 129 electric poles were uprooted, while 659 school buildings were affected, including 69 that were completely damaged.
District-wise assessments show extensive losses. In North Tripura, Dharmanagar subdivision reported damage to 136 houses, Panisagar to 50, while Kanchanpur also recorded significant losses. In Unakoti district, Kailashahar subdivision alone reported 518 damaged houses, with compensation already distributed to several families. Kumarghat subdivision has also received assistance for fully and severely damaged houses.
Dhalai district reported damage across Ambassa, Kamalpur, Gandatwisa and Longtharai Valley subdivisions. Sepahijala district was among the worst affected, with Bishalgarh reporting 947 damaged houses, Sonamura 387 and Jampuijala 153. Relief camps have been opened in these areas to accomodate displaced villagers.
West Tripura and Khowai districts also reported damage, including in Teliamura and Khowai subdivisions, where a relief camp has been set up at Maharanipur High School.
In Gomati district, subdivisions such as Karbook, Udaipur and Amarpur reported road blockages due to uprooted trees and damaged power infrastructure, along with injuries. In South Tripura, areas including Sabroom, Belonia and Santirbazar also reported damage, with hundreds of houses affected.
Despite the damage, river levels remain below danger marks. Authorities are monitoring rivers such as the Howrah, Gomati, Muhuri and Manu in view of continued rainfall.
Bisramganj in Sepahijala district recorded the highest rainfall at 145.5 mm, while Agartala, Sonamura and Gandacherra also received substantial precipitation.
The weather department has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershowers across most parts of the state over the next 24 hours, with warnings of heavy to very heavy rainfall ranging between 7 cm and 20 cm in several districts. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of up to 60 kmph are also likely, keeping authorities on alert.