JORABAT, Sept 23 - Jorabat and its neighbouring areas, including 12th Mile, Ambher, Tamulikuchi, Byrnihat, 13th Mile, 14th Mile, Sarutari, etc., reeled under flash flood today. The flood was witnessed for the first time on the NH-40 at Byrnihat this year.
Houses and business establishments in the area suffered damage as water flowed on to the national highway following the inundation of the drain linked to the Byrnihat river. The flash flood created a lot of problems at the Goat Research Centre, located at 13th Mile, Tamulikuchi, Byrnihat. Several workers had to be deployed to shift the goats to safer places.
It may be mentioned here that the residents of the area have been witnessing flash floods for the last four months. Artificial flood occurs on the NH-37 in the Jorabat stretch and on the NH-40 in the stretch between Jorabat to Byrnihat.
Kancha Dai, a local resident of 12th Mile, said the flood at Umpher occurred as the culvert below the national highway got blocked due to the dumping of waste. He claimed that a flash flood had occurred in the 12th Mile area along the NH-40 for the first time.
Residents of Byrnihat alleged that the flash flood phenomenon was due to the four-laning work on the NH-40 between Jorabat and Byrnihat. They warned that if the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) did not address the problem of flash floods, they would not allow its personnel to carry out any further work.
The flash flood problem is endemic to Jorabat and its adjacent areas on the NH-37. But the flash flood on the NH-40 is a new development.
