GUWAHATI: Heavy monsoon rainfall, landslides, flooding and erosion have damaged a total of 40.36 kilometres of national highways across the eight states of Northeast India this season, the Union government told Parliament.
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The figures were disclosed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in the Rajya Sabha, in response to a question raised by Congress MP Kapil Sibal. Gadkari informed the House that of the total 40.36 km of national highway damaged across the Northeast this monsoon, Assam alone accounts for 8.325 km. He further pointed out that the stretch of national highway between Bongora and Satpokholi in South Kamrup district has been considerably damaged due to heavy rainfall, making travel difficult for commuters using that route.
Speaking on the government's response to such damage, Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha that sustainable bio-engineering measures are being implemented to stabilise hilly and landslide-prone stretches along national highways in the region, in order to enhance road safety. He listed these measures as including coir and jute mat hydroseeding, interlinked chain mesh reinforced with green strips, bamboo piling supported by stepped berms, and erosion control using Vetiver grass planted on jute matting.
The minister added that geological and geotechnical investigations would be carried out, covering areas both within and beyond the highway's Right of Way, to help prevent damage to property and infrastructure. He also said due emphasis was being given to the construction of catchwater drains as part of measures to protect highway stretches from future erosion and landslide damage.
The highway damage comes amid a broader flood and landslide crisis that has gripped the Northeast this monsoon season. The trouble began in Arunachal Pradesh, where intense rainfall struck Keyi Panyor district in late June, triggering flash floods that washed away homes, roads and bridges, particularly around the Panyor Hydel Project colony near Yazali. Reports indicate that thousands of people across a dozen of the state's 28 districts were affected in varying degrees. The Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, police and district authorities carried out rescue operations, deploying helicopters to reach communities that had been cut off by damaged roads.
The impact soon spread downstream into Assam, where the season's first major flood wave affected more than 22,000 people across six districts, including Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh. Close to 100 villages and over 1,600 hectares of agricultural land were submerged. In Dhemaji, riverbank erosion caused the partial collapse of a railway bridge over the Simen River at Simen Chapari, disrupting train services and cutting off several villages.
The broader flood situation across the Northeast has prompted authorities to issue fresh warnings of more extreme rainfall in the days ahead, even as restoration and rescue efforts continue in the worst-affected districts.
